Abstract
We tested the impact of minimal therapist guidance with a workbook designed to aid in reducing or stopping gambling. Randomly assigned participants recruited from the community who met at least 2 DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling received a workbook completed with therapist guidance (WB+G) or a workbook (WB only). Both groups met with a research assistant to monitor chapter completion and for data collection at each study visit. We examined the proportion of participants reporting any gambling, money spent gambling, and G-SAS scores during treatment, at the end of treatment, and at 1-year follow-up. Abstinence rates were higher among those in the WB+G condition, money spent gambling was lower for the WB only group during treatment, and both groups reported fewer G-SAS gambling symptoms at treatment completion and follow up. The workbook with guidance increased abstinence from gambling while in treatment and at follow-up more than the workbook alone.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bien, T. H., Miller, W. R., & Tonigan, J. S. (1993). Brief interventions for alcohol problems: a review. Addiction, 88, 315–336.
Carlbring, P., & Smit, F. (2008). Randomized trial of internet-delivered self-help with telephone support for pathological gamblers. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76(6), 1090–1094.
Gerstein, D. R., Volberg, R. A., Toce, M. T., Harwood, H., Palmer, A., Johnson, R., Larison, C., Chuchro, L., Buie, T., Engelman, L., & Hill, M. A. (1999). Gambling impact and behavior study: Report to the national gambling impact study commission. Chicago: National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.
Grant, J. E., Steinberg, M. A., Kim, S. W., Rounsaville, B. J., & Potenza, M. N. (2004). Preliminary validity and reliability testing of a structured clinical interview for pathological gambling. Psychiatry Research, 128(1), 79–88.
Harris, K. B., & Miller, W. R. (1990). Behavioral self-control training for problem drinkers: components of efficacy. Psychology of Addictive Behavior, 4(2), 82–90.
Hodgins, D. C., & el-Guebaly, N. (2000). Natural and treatment-assisted recovery from gambling problems: a comparison of resolved and active gamblers. Addiction, 95(5), 777–789.
Hodgins, D. C., & Makarchuk, K. (2003). Trusting problem gamblers: reliability and validity of self-reported gambling behavior. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 17(3), 244–248.
Hodgins, D. C., Currie, S. R., & el-Guebaly, N. (2001). Motivational enhancement and self-help treatments for problem gamblers. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 69(1), 50–57.
Hodgins, D. C., Currie, S. R., el-Guebaly, N., & Peden, N. (2004). Brief motivational treatment for problem gambling: a 24-month follow-up. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 18(3), 293–296.
Kim, S. W., Grant, J. E., Adson, D. E., & Shin, Y. C. (2001). Double-blind naltrexone and placebo comparison study in the treatment of pathological gambling. Biological Psychiatry, 49, 914–921.
Kim, S. W., Grant, J. E., Potenza, M. N., Blanco, C., & Hollander, E. (2009). The Gambling Symptom Assessment Scale (G-SAS): a reliability and validity study. Psychiatric Research, 166(1), 76–84.
Ladouceur, R., Sylvain, C., Boutin, C., Lachance, S., Doucet, C., Leblond, J., & Jacques, C. (2001). Cognitive treatment of pathological gambling. Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, 189, 774–780.
Lecrubier, Y., Sheehan, D. V., Weiller, E., Amorim, P., Bonora, I., Sheehan, K. H., Janavs, J., & Dunbar, G. C. (1997). The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) a short diagnostic structured interview: reliability and validity according to the CIDI. European Psychiatry, 12, 224–231.
Lesieur, H. R., & Blume, S. B. (1987). The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS): a new instrument for the identification of pathological gamblers. American Journal of Psychiatry, 144(9), 1184–1188.
Lorains, F. K., Cowlishaw, S., & Thomas, S. A. (2011). Prevalence of comorbid disorders in problem and pathological gambling: systematic review and meta-analysis of population surveys. Addiction, 106, 490–498.
Moyer, A., Finney, J. W., Swearingen, C. E., & Vergun, P. (2002). Brief interventions for alcohol problems: a meta-analytic review of controlled investigations in treatment- seeking and non-treatment-seeking populations. Addiction, 97, 279–292.
Pallanti, S., DeCaria, C. M., Grant, J. E., Urpe, M., & Hollander, E. (2005). Reliability and validity of the pathological gambling adaptation of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (PG-YBOCS). Journal of Gambling Studies, 21(4), 431–443.
Petry, N. M., Stinson, F. S., & Grant, B. F. (2005). Comorbidity of DSM-IV pathological gambling and other psychiatric disorders: results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 66, 564–574.
Petry, N. M., Ammerman, Y., Bohl, J., Doersch, A., Gay, H., Kadden, R., Molina, C., & Steinberg, K. (2006). Cognitive behavioral therapy for pathological gamblers. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74(3), 555–567.
Raylu, N., Oei, T. P. S., & Loo, J. (2008). The current status and future directions of self-help treatments for problem gamblers. Clinical Psychology Review, 28, 1372–1385.
Riper, H., Spek, V., Boon, B., Conijn, B., Kramer, J., Martin-Abello, K., & Smit, F. (2011). Effectiveness of e-self-help interventions for curbing adult problem drinking: a meta- analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 13(2), e42. doi:10.2196/jmir.1691. Published online 2011 June 30.
Roche, A. M., & Freeman, T. (2004). Brief interventions: good in theory but weak in practice. Drug and Alcohol Review, 23, 11–18.
Rockloff, M. J., & Schofield, G. (2004). Factor analysis of barriers to treatment for problem gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies, 20(2), 121–126.
Sheehan, D. V., Lecrubier, Y., Sheehan, K. H., Amorim, P., Janavs, J., Weiller, E., Hergueta, T., Baker, R., & Dunbar, G. C. (1998). The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.): the development and validation of a structured diagnostic psychiatric interview for DSM-IV and ICD-10. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 59(suppl. 20), 22–33.
Slutske, W. S. (2006). Natural recovery and treatment seeking in pathological gambling: results of two U.S. national surveys. American Journal of Psychiatry, 163, 297–302.
Stinchfield, R. (2002). Reliability, validity, and classification accuracy of the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS). Addictive Behaviors, 27(1), 1–19.
Acknowledgments
This research was funded by the CA Office of Problem Gambling, Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs under contract #08-00143.
Conflict of Interest
Michael D. Campos, Richard J. Rosenthal, Qiaolin Chen, Jacquelene Moghaddam, and Timothy W. Fong declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Informed Consent
All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000 (5). Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Campos, M.D., Rosenthal, R.J., Chen, Q. et al. A Self-Help Manual for Problem Gamblers: the Impact of Minimal Therapist Guidance on Outcome. Int J Ment Health Addiction 14, 579–596 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-015-9579-5
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-015-9579-5