Exploring the Efficacy of Spiritually Integrated Psychological Sessions in Managing Internet Addiction and Other Comorbid Symptoms

Background In this fast-paced world, the use of the internet has become very fundamental to both professional and personal existence, ultimately influencing human cognition. This has grown as a global concern for every age group, particularly among young adults. There have been many psychological therapies to effectively deal with internet addiction, and one such intervention can be through enhancing the spirituality component within individuals. Therefore, spiritually integrated psychological sessions (SIPS) within counselling settings can serve as a significant framework in managing internet addiction, particularly related to spending excessive time on social media platforms. Purpose (a) The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of spirituality-based counselling sessions on reducing internet addiction (time spent ≥8 h/day on social media platforms), depression, anxiety and stress. (b) To enhance emotional and spiritual intelligence within the participants. Methods The present study used a single-case experimental design (SCED) using a phased intervention model inspired by non-concurrent multiple baseline design (NCMBD) to assess the effectiveness of the well-structured SIPS on reducing internet addiction, while enhancing emotional and spiritual intelligence as well as managing other comorbid symptoms reported by the participants, which are depression, anxiety and stress. A total of three participants (age between 15 and 18 years) were selected through purposive sampling with criterion-based selection. The methodology strictly followed the SCRIBE guidelines across the implementation of the sessions. Results The results obtained showed consistent patterns of stability in managing the usage of the internet, significant reduction in the reported symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. There was also an enhancement in the emotional and spiritual intelligence among the participants. Conclusion The present research indicates that SIPS is an effective framework in reducing internet addiction (time spent ≥8 h/day on social media platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook and Snapchat) and other symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. The activities as well as techniques involved in SIPS have also been found to be effective in regulating both emotional and spiritual intelligence among adolescents while managing and improving their behavioural patterns.