Pathological gambling is an increasing problem in the United States, with significant financial, psychological and public health consequences. Controlled trials examining the efficacy of therapeutic interventions for pathological gamblers, however, are sparse. Gamblers Anonymous (GA) is the most popular form of treatment, and some evidence suggests that cognitive-behavioral (CB) treatment may be useful. In addition, minimal treatment using a self-help manual has been shown effective. To assess the most efficacious and cost-effective treatment strategy, 220 individuals meeting DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling will be randomly assigned to one of three interventions: (1) assessment, referral to GA, and 8-weeks of professionally- delivered CB therapy; (2) assessment, referral to GA, and an 8- week CB self-help manual; or, (3) a control/comparison treatment consisting of assessment and referral to GA alone. Subjects will be recruited from advertisements and among applicants to the Compulsive Gambling Treatment Program at the State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. Gambling and related problems will be assessed using standardized instruments pre-treatment, at month 1, at month 2 (post-treatment), and at 6- and 12-month follow up evaluations. The project will address the following questions: Are brief, CB treatments more effective than GA referral alone in reducing gambling during the treatment period and for significant periods following treatment? How does a CB self-help manual compare to professionally-delivered CB treatment? Are the effects of the interventions reflected in better psychosocial functioning during treatment and throughout the follow-up period? What are the societal costs associated with pathological gambling, and how do the interventions differ in their cost-effectiveness in terms of reducing these costs? Are certain patient characteristics associated with better outcomes in some of the treatment conditions? Are the treatments effective in diverse populations that include women and minority gamblers?

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH060417-02
Application #
6187608
Study Section
Treatment Assessment Review Committee (TA)
Program Officer
Street, Linda L
Project Start
1999-08-15
Project End
2004-07-31
Budget Start
2000-08-01
Budget End
2001-07-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2000
Total Cost
$350,057
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Connecticut
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
City
Farmington
State
CT
Country
United States
Zip Code
06030
Petry, Nancy M; Gonzalez-Ibanez, Angels (2015) Internet gambling in problem gambling college students. J Gambl Stud 31:397-408
Petry, Nancy M; Blanco, Carlos; Jin, Chelsea et al. (2014) Concordance between gambling disorder diagnoses in the DSM-IV and DSM-5: Results from the National Epidemiological Survey of Alcohol and Related Disorders. Psychol Addict Behav 28:586-91
Andrade, Leonardo F; Riven, Levi; Petry, Nancy M (2014) Associations between Antisocial Personality Disorder and Sex on Discounting Rates. Psychol Rec 64:639-644
Petry, Nancy M; Blanco, Carlos; Auriacombe, Marc et al. (2014) An overview of and rationale for changes proposed for pathological gambling in DSM-5. J Gambl Stud 30:493-502
Petry, Nancy M; Blanco, Carlos; Stinchfield, Randy et al. (2013) An empirical evaluation of proposed changes for gambling diagnosis in the DSM-5. Addiction 108:575-81
Andrade, Leonardo F; Alessi, Sheila M; Petry, Nancy M (2013) The effects of alcohol problems and smoking on delay discounting in individuals with gambling problems. J Psychoactive Drugs 45:241-8
Weiss, Lindsay; Petry, Nancy M (2013) Older methadone patients achieve greater durations of cocaine abstinence with contingency management than younger patients. Am J Addict 22:119-26
Locke, Geoffrey W; Shilkret, Robert; Everett, Joyce E et al. (2013) Interpersonal guilt in college student pathological gamblers. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse 39:28-32
Petry, Nancy M; Blanco, Carlos (2013) National gambling experiences in the United States: will history repeat itself? Addiction 108:1032-7
Petry, Nancy M (2012) Discounting of probabilistic rewards is associated with gambling abstinence in treatment-seeking pathological gamblers. J Abnorm Psychol 121:151-9

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