A Pilot SMART Design for Pathological Gamblers

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00685724

Acronym

SMART

Enrollment

Registered

2008-05-28

Start date

2008-01-31

Completion date

2011-03-31

Last updated

2019-04-09

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

Conditions

Pathological Gambling

Keywords

pathological gambling, cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivational enhancement therapy

Brief summary

Pathological gambling is serious problem, with significant psychological, financial, and public health consequences. Nevertheless, controlled trials examining the efficacy of therapeutic interventions for pathological gamblers are sparse, and many pathological gamblers recover on their own, or with only minimal interventions. In this initial study of a SMART design for pathological gamblers, we will offer a brief intervention to all (n = 100), and subsequently randomize individuals based upon their initial treatment response to varying intensities of additional care from none to 8 sessions of individual cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) plus 14 weeks of Aftercare. Gambling outcomes will be assessed pre-treatment and at about weeks 10, 24, 36 and 52.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALMotivational Enhancement Therapy (MET)

MET is a client-centered, directive form of therapy designed to enhance clients' intrinsic motivation to change.

BEHAVIORALCognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

In CBT, clients learn to modify their thoughts as well as their behaviors by increasing awareness of the relationship between thoughts, emotions, and actions.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

FACTORIAL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* age \> 18 years old, DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling * \>2 gambling episodes in past 60 days * spent \>$100 wagering in the past 60 days * willingness to accept random assignment after the brief intervention.

Exclusion criteria

* Reading level below 5th grade * uncontrolled psychiatric conditions (e.g., active suicidal intention, psychosis, bipolar disorder)

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
self and collateral indices of gambling and gambling related problems	baseline and each follow-up

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026