Blended Treatment for Problem Gambling and Gambling Disorder Combining Group Sessions and Online Modules

NCT ID: NCT05331612

Last Updated: 2022-06-16

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: UNKNOWN
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 30 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2022-10-31
• Study Completion Date: 2024-07-31

Brief Summary

The main objective of present project is assess the preliminary efficacy of a blended psychological intervention, by comparing the improvements in the CBT and waiting list control groups of an evidence-based treatment protocol for problems related to gambling applied in a blended format (sessions through an online protocol treatment combining with face-to-face group sessions), as well as to evaluate the opinion and acceptance of the intervention.

Detailed Description

Gambling disorder and problem gambling are considered a public health problem around the world, not only because of the high costs of the treatments that it entails, otherwise by the increase in the numbers of young people who easily fall into gambling behavior and who can hardly leave problems with games of chance on their own.

The review of the scientific literature has shown that CBT is the psychological therapy that has shown the greatest scientific evidence and rigor over the years in the treatment of gambling disorder and problem gambling. In addition, the application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), together with the characteristics of accessibility, immediacy and cost reduction, which show, has made it possible to carry out effective Internet-delivered Interventions. If investigators take into account the high rates of drop outs and the low adherence to treatment that exists among patients with behavioral addictions, as well as the current barriers encountered by patients, such as stigma, the costs of the sessions and the distance geographical location.

A new alternative and innovative treatment are blended interventions, although their research is still limited, their efficiency and effectiveness have been proven for the treatment of emotional disorders and substance addictions, such as smoking cessation. In the same way, the benefits which offers CBT group therapy are improvement the self-esteem, encourages problem solving and communication skills and mutual support.

Therefore, the objective of the present project will be to evaluate whether a blended intervention (group sessions plus Internet-based modules) for problem gambling and gambling disorder could lead to improved gambling outcomes compared to a waiting list control condition.The minimum number of participants diagnosed with gambling disorder and problem gambling, which will be randomly assigned to each of the two conditions, will be 30 participants.

Conditions

Gambling Disorder; Problem Gambling

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Blended intervention condition

Blended intervention condition, consisting of 5 face-to-face group sessions lasting 2 hours every 2 weeks, alternated with the online treatment protocol carried out by the participants in a self-applied. The intervention has a period of duration of 13 weeks and it is composed by 8 modules (Motivation for change, Psychoeducation, Stimulus control, Cognitive restructuring, Urge surfing and emotion regulation, Planning of significant activities, Coping skills and exposure with response prevention, and Relapse prevention). These modules is based in the online platform and manualized protocol treatment "Sin jugar, ganas" (Díaz-Sanahuja et al., 2021).

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Blended intervention condition

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants receive the online protocol treatment and face-to-face sessions during 13 weeks.

Waiting list control condition

Waiting list control group receives the blended treatment when the intervention has finished in the experimental group (blended group intervention).

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Blended intervention condition

Participants receive the online protocol treatment and face-to-face sessions during 13 weeks.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

BI

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• 18 years or older.
• Being able to understand, read and write Spanish.
• Having a computer and daily access to the Internet at home.
• Meeting criteria for gambling disorder or problem gambling according to the parameters established by the Norc Diagnostic Screening for gambling disorders (NODS) (Becoña, 2004),
• Availability and willingness to provide information about gambling behavior in the follow-ups.

Exclusion Criteria

• Having any serious mental disorder.
• If the behavior comes to maniac from a maniac episode or from taking antidepressants
• Being high risk of suicide,
• Moderate or severe alcohol and substance use disorder according to the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) (Sheehan et al.,1998).
• Any medical illness that conditions receiving treatment receives.
• Increasing in the dose of pharmacological treatment.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Universitat Jaume I

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Juana Bretón López, Professor

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

University Jaume I

Locations

University Jaume I

Castellon, Castelló, Spain

Countries

Spain

Central Contacts

Ainara Muñoz Ranchel, PhD Student

Role: CONTACT

al373650@uji.es

967041239

Adriana Mira Pastor, Professor

Role: CONTACT

miraa@uji.es

964387651

Other Identifiers

ARAMENI/189

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id