None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Sports betting has become one of the nation’s rapidly increasing forms of gambling addiction with $1.235 billion lost in 2017 - 18 , particularly in young males. This proposal is based on the recent publication from the SA Statewide Gambling Therapy Service, reporting the successful treatment of 6 young men with sports betting addiction using exposure therapy delivered face to face. The phase 1 pilot study aims to recruit 40 participants from all areas of SA using social media and provide cue exposure therapy (CET) for 10 sessions using mobile phone or internet.
Interventions
The intervention is Exposure therapy. Exposure is a specific form of cognitive behaviour therapy, known as a behavioural approach whereby the person/participant conducts tasks where they deliberately expose themselves to triggers or cues which elicit a gambling urge or in the case of anxiety disorders where exposure was invented to anxiety. The therapeutic model is that by repeating these exposure exercises daily or 3-4 times weekly (Cue Exposure Therapy CET), until the urge reduces by at least
The intervention is Exposure therapy. Exposure is a specific form of cognitive behaviour therapy, known as a behavioural approach whereby the person/participant conducts tasks where they deliberately expose themselves to triggers or cues which elicit a gambling urge or in the case of anxiety disorders where exposure was invented to anxiety. The therapeutic model is that by repeating these exposure exercises daily or 3-4 times weekly (Cue Exposure Therapy CET), until the urge reduces by at least half in each session (this is called habituation) the person unlearns or extinguishes the urge to gamble. Participants (sports betting gamblers) are provided 1 session weekly for up to 10 sessions (10-12 weeks). During each session the therapist guides the participant to select triggers that elicit a gambling urge e.g., looking at the gambling app on their phone or a gambling advertisement for 20-40 minutes until the urge has reduced by at least half and then repeat this task daily until the urge extinguishes (habituation). The therapist and gambler create a hierarchy of triggers and these are addressed in a gradient from easy to difficult until all or most triggers/urges have been eliminated. Progress is monitored by the participant filling out homework sheets describing their tasks and urge as well as questionnaires at each session on gambling urge and gambling time and money spent. We have published a paper on 6 cases of sports betting addiction treated by the SA Statewide Gambling Therapy Service (SGTS). CET was provided face to face by experienced SGTS staff using a standardised workbook adapted for sports betting. In CET as described in the case studies, all urges to gamble are extinguished and the person gains control over their gambling either through abstinence or occasional gambling. The phase 1 pilot proposal aims to recruit 40 participants from all areas of SA and provide CET using mobile phone or internet in contrast to those who have received the intervention from SGTS face in a clinic setting as described in the published 6 case studies. This would provide the data to inform a phase 2 national randomised controlled trial with funding sought from other states and/or NHMRC Partnership grant.
Sponsors
Flinders University
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Single group
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion: includes sports betting on any of the commercially advertised sports betting gambling sites at least once per month e.g., Sports bet and losing amounts that the person believes is excessive or time spent is excessive, willingness to have counselling sessions recorded and to provide follow-up data, age greater than 17, access to a smart phone and or internet. Receiving or having received psychological treatment for a gambling problem in the last 12 months is not an exclusion.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion: mental distress e.g., psychosis or suicidality so as not to be able to give informed consent or complete the intervention sessions. Concurrent other forms of gambling e.g., pokies, TAB or lotto are acceptable as are co-morbidities of depression, anxiety and other addictions e.g., alcohol or tobacco.
Outcome results
None listed