Is virtual reality useful to treat pathological gambling?

Testing the usefulness of virtual reality (VR) in the treatment of pathological gambling with a randomized controlled trial

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN77484912

Enrollment

Registered

2015-03-31

Start date

2013-12-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2019-11-04

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Treatment and relapse prevention for adults suffering from pathological gambling Mental and Behavioural Disorders

Interventions

After receiving an appropriate diagnosis and completing the ethics procedures, participants will be randomly assigned to one of the following two conditions: 1. Experimental (Virtual R

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 40 participants suffering from pathological gambling (according to DSM-V diagnostic critera) will be recruited in two treatment centers that offers a closed-inpatient setting (Centre Casa and Maison Jean Lapointe), allowing a more secure environment for trying a treatment that involves voluntary interventions related to the desire to gamble. In each centers, participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two experimental conditions. 1. Ambulatory man and woman 2. At least 18 years old and at most 75 years old 3. French speaking 4. Receiving a principal diagnosis of Pathological gambling based on DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. Assessed with a semi-structured diagnostic interview (EDTJ)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Having a principal diagnosis other than Pathological gambling 2. Currently suffering from a severe organic disease, dementia, mental retardation, schizophrenia, amnesia, substance abuse, borderline personality disorder, psychosis or bipolar disorder 3. Active suicidal ideations

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Pre, 2-week post, 6 and 12 month follow-up: 1. Indice Canadien du Jeu Excessif (ICJE; McCready & Adlaf, 2006): will be administered to document the program effectiveness. 2. Perception d'Efficacité Personnelle (Sylvain et al., 1997): based on the description of three situations assessing excess risk in gambling. Participants can rate how much they can control their gambling behaviors in these situations. Note that there is a 2-week period between post and the end of the treatment. This period of time allows the participant to finish their program and return into their familiar environment.	—

Measure

Time frame

Pre, 2-week post, 6 and 12 month follow-up: 1. Indice Canadien du Jeu Excessif (ICJE; McCready & Adlaf, 2006): will be administered to document the program effectiveness. 2. Perception d'Efficacité Personnelle (Sylvain et al., 1997): based on the description of three situations assessing excess risk in gambling. Participants can rate how much they can control their gambling behaviors in these situations. Note that there is a 2-week period between post and the end of the treatment. This period of time allows the participant to finish their program and return into their familiar environment.

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Pre, 2-week post, 6 and 12 month follow-up: 1. Fréquence de jeu (Sylvain et al., 1997) : Gambling Frequency is a questionnaire that indicates gambling frequency during the last week. They also note the amount spent and how long they played. 2. Gambling Craving Scale (GACS; Young & Wohl, 2009) This 9-item questionnaire has three subscales measuring anticipation, desire to gamble et and relief. Each subscale has three items and participants have to answer to questions on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). 3. Mon Traitement (Bouchard et al., 2012) : My treatment is a scale composed of two types of information : (a) presence at the end of the day of desire to gamble and possible cybersickness following virtual reality sessions, and (b) assiduity in therapy sessions and motivation to continue treatment. Note that there is a 2-week period between post and the end of the treatment. This period of time allows the participant to finish their program and return into their familiar environment.	—

Measure

Time frame

Pre, 2-week post, 6 and 12 month follow-up: 1. Fréquence de jeu (Sylvain et al., 1997) : Gambling Frequency is a questionnaire that indicates gambling frequency during the last week. They also note the amount spent and how long they played. 2. Gambling Craving Scale (GACS; Young & Wohl, 2009) This 9-item questionnaire has three subscales measuring anticipation, desire to gamble et and relief. Each subscale has three items and participants have to answer to questions on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). 3. Mon Traitement (Bouchard et al., 2012) : My treatment is a scale composed of two types of information : (a) presence at the end of the day of desire to gamble and possible cybersickness following virtual reality sessions, and (b) assiduity in therapy sessions and motivation to continue treatment. Note that there is a 2-week period between post and the end of the treatment. This period of time allows the participant to finish their program and return into their familiar environment.

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Countries

Canada

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026