Gambling
Conditions
Brief summary
This study will evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive motivational behavior therapy (CMBT) in treating pathological gamblers.
Detailed description
Pathological gambling is developing into a serious public health problem. The rise in gambling problems has stimulated treatment studies, but little progress has been made. A particular concern is the high dropout rates from treatment studies; gamblers often seek treatment, but fail to complete it and relapse. This study will test the effectiveness of CMBT in helping to increase retention rates in gambling treatment studies. The first step in this study is designed to enhance gamblers' readiness for change. When participants are committed to change, CMBT will then address specific cognitive biases regarding the notion of randomness, which is thought to lie at the heart of gambling problems. Behavioral components will also be used to enhance gamblers' coping skills. The participants in this study will be randomly assigned to either CMBT or a Gambler's Anonymous control group. Participants will be assessed prior to and after treatment and at 3- and 6-month follow-up visits. Interviews and questionnaires will be used to assess participants.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALCognitive Motivational Behavior Therapy
Sponsors
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
University at Albany
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
17 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling * Eighth grade reading ability * Reside in the Albany, NY area
Exclusion criteria
* Diagnosis of serious psychopathology, including psychosis, bipolar disorder, or alcohol or other substance dependence
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed