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Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Integrated Cognitive-Behavioural Intervention (CBI) Model for Male Problem Gamblers in Hong Kong: A Matched-Pair Comparison Design

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Abstract

Very few clinical cognitive-behavioural intervention (CBI) studies were conducted with the Chinese gamblers. There is a lack of attention paid to intervening in negative emotions that may also adversely affect PGs in current CBI treatment modality. This study is the first attempt to systematically and rigorously evaluate both the short-term and longer-term effects of a culturally-attuned CBI group treatment with an emotion regulation component for a group of Chinese PGs in Hong Kong. A quasi-experimental matched-pairs design was adopted and 84 participants were allocated to the CBI (N = 42) and social activity groups (N = 42). There are 3 assessment points in the study: baseline at recruitment, post-intervention at the end of CBI and social activity groups, and at 6-month follow-up. When compared to the social activity group and after controlling for general group effects, there were significantly greater decreases in the severity of gambling, gambling-related cognitions (i.e. interpretive bias), negative psychological states (i.e. stress) and money spent on gambling in the past month in the CBI group between pre- and post-intervention and between pre-intervention and 6-month follow-up. Results also indicated that both reduction in gambling-related cognitions and negative psychological states could mediate the treatment effect of the CBI on the reduction of problematic gambling behaviours. The culturally attuned integrated CBI group treatment with an emotional regulation component appeared to be effective in treating Chinese problem gamblers in Hong Kong and the effects could be sustained at 6-month follow-up.

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Notes

  1. The term ‘problem gamblers’ will hereafter be used in this paper to cover both problem and pathological gamblers.

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Funding

The study was funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC) of Hong Kong (Grant Number 11409114).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, The Jockey Club Tower, Pok Fu Lam Road, Hong Kong, China

    Xiao Yu Zhuang, Daniel Fu Keung Wong & Ting Kin Ng

  2. Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

    Alun C. Jackson & Nicki A. Dowling

  3. Centre on Behavioural Health, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Alun C. Jackson

  4. School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia

    Nicki A. Dowling

  5. Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong, China

    Herman Hay-ming Lo

Authors
  1. Xiao Yu Zhuang
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  2. Daniel Fu Keung Wong
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  3. Ting Kin Ng
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  4. Alun C. Jackson
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  5. Nicki A. Dowling
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Correspondence to Daniel Fu Keung Wong.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Zhuang, X.Y., Wong, D.F.K., Ng, T.K. et al. Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Integrated Cognitive-Behavioural Intervention (CBI) Model for Male Problem Gamblers in Hong Kong: A Matched-Pair Comparison Design. J Gambl Stud 34, 969–985 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-018-9747-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-018-9747-1

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