Cognitive behavioral therapy and Referral to Gamblers Anonymous and Cognitive behavioral self-help manual in Gambling - Clinical Trials Registry

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Gambling

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The number of pathological gamblers in the United States is steadily growing, leading to significant financial, psychological, and public health consequences. However, studies examining the effectiveness of treatment interventions for pathological gamblers are limited. This study will compare the effectiveness of three different treatment strategies, including referral to Gambler's Anonymous (GA), a self-help manual, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), in reducing gambling behaviors and other problems related to pathological gambling.

This study will last 8 weeks. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three interventions. Group 1 participants will be referred to GA and 8 weeks of CBT, which focuses on teaching skills to help reduce gambling urges and develop alternative behaviors to gambling. Group 2 participants will be referred to GA and given an 8-week self-help manual. Group 3 participants will be referred to GA alone. Questionnaires will be used to assess participants' gambling behavior and any personal, legal, or health problems they may be experiencing. The questionnaires will be completed at study entry, study completion, and at 6- and 12-month follow-up visits.

Participants will be asked to identify at least one person who knows about their gambling problem and will have regular contact with them during the study and for at least 1 year This person will be interviewed at the beginning of the study, and at Months 2, 6 and 12. Researchers will ask contact persons about participants' gambling behaviors, personal relationships, legal problems, use of health care and mental health services, and how the participant can be contacted if he or she moves.

For information on related studies, please follow these links:

http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00118391

http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00618462

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

231

Phase

Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

United States
- Connecticut
  - Farmington, Connecticut, United States, 06030
    - University of Connecticut Health Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Diagnosis of pathological gambling
3 or more gambling episodes within 60 days prior to study entry

Exclusion Criteria:

Inability to read English at the 5th grade level
Uncontrolled psychiatric condition

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Addiction Severity Index (ASI) gambling severity scores
time spent gambling
days of non-gambling

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Psychiatric symptoms
psychosocial functioning

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

UConn Health

Collaborators

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

March 1, 1998

Primary Completion (Actual)

November 1, 2003

Study Completion (Actual)

November 1, 2003

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 7, 2005

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria