"The Impact of Progressive Muscle Relaxation On Internet Gaming Addiction and Social Anxiety In Adolescents”: A Pilot Study

Sudhir Kumar Rai; Manu K. Baby

doi:10.61410/had.v20i4.257

Sudhir Kumar Rai Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, K.S. Saket P.G. College, Ayodhya , (U.P.)
Manu K. Baby Research Scholar, Department of Psychology, K.S. Saket P.G. College, Ayodhya , (.P.P)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.61410/had.v20i4.257

Keywords: Internet Gaming Disorder, Social Anxiety, Adolescents, Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Behavioral Intervention

Abstract

Adolescence represents a developmental stage marked by heightened emotional sensitivity and increased vulnerability to behavioral challenges, including problematic engagement with digital technologies (Steinberg, 2014; Twenge, 2019). Excessive online gaming is one such concern and has been linked to reduced self-regulation, heightened anxiety, and impaired social functioning (Kuss & Griffiths, 2012). This pilot study investigated the effectiveness of Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)—a structured relaxation technique originally developed by Jacobson (1938)—in reducing social anxiety and Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) symptoms among adolescents. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR), developed by Edmund Jacobson in the 1920s, is a structured relaxation technique involving systematic tensing and releasing of muscle groups to induce physiological calmness and reduce anxiety (Manzoni et al., 2008). PMR has been proven effective in alleviating stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms across various populations (Park & Kim, 2019; Şahin & AyazAlkaya, 2024).Forty students aged 13–18 years from schools in Uttar Pradesh, India, were selected using purposive sampling. Participants with moderate social anxiety and gaming addiction, assessed through the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A) and the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short Form (IGDS-SF9), underwent four weekly PMR sessions. Post-intervention results showed significant reductions in social anxiety and gaming addiction levels, along with improvements in emotional regulation. These findings suggest that PMR is a feasible and cost-effective method for managing gaming-related emotional difficulties in adolescents. Future research with larger samples and longitudinal designs is recommended to validate these preliminary findings. Further longitudinal research with larger and more diverse samples is recommended to establish PMR’s long-term impact on behavioral addictions and emotional well-being among youth (Sharma & Sivaraman, 2020)

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