فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

BACKGROUND: Teenagers are increasingly interested in computer games, and the adverse effectsof these games are dependent on the execution of these games. The theory of planned behavior(TPB) is one of the most important theories in behavior change. This study aimed to determine theeffect of educational planning based on TPB on the level of dependence on computer games in highschool male students in Gonabad, Iran.MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a randomized controlled trial. The study population wasstudents of computer games in Gonabad. Sixty-four students were selected by a multistage randomsampling method and were randomly divided into intervention (n = 32) and control (n = 32) groups.Data-gathering tool was the standard questionnaire of computer game dependency and researchermade questionnaire according to TPB constructs that were completed before, immediately, and3 months after the intervention. The intervention consisted of eight 90-min training sessions. Datawere analyzed using the Chi-square test, Fisher’s, t-test, repeated measures ANOVA, and Bonferronipost hoc test.RESULTS: Before the intervention, the intervention and control groups were matched for the meanscore of model constructs. However, after the intervention, the mean score of computer gameaddiction significantly decreased (≤0.001). However, the mean score of knowledge, attitude,perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intention increased, which was statistically significant.Furthermore, the mean changes of model structures were statistically significant (P < 0.05).CONCLUSION: The findings revealed that TPB can be used as a good theoretical framework fordesigning and implementing educational programs to reduce the dependency of computer gameson students.