Treatment of disordered gambling

Abstract

A diverse range of treatments have been adapted for gambling disorders. To date, the results of three meta-analyses have been reported. The most recent one was conducted in 2009 and included 25 outcome studies, conducted between 1980 and 2000, of cognitive-behavioural therapies (CBTs) for gambling disorders (Gooding & Tarrier, 2009). The authors found significant effect sizes for the reduction of various gambling-related behaviours at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months post-treatment. Outcome variables included gambling expenditure, amount of time spent gambling, endorsed cognitive distortions associated with gambling and attitudes towards gambling. Another meta-analysis assessed the efficacy of psychopharmacological treatments for pathological gambling against placebo (Pallesen et al., 2007). Results from 16 included studies showed that compared to placebo, pharmacological interventions were more effective (overall effect size = .75, p < .01). Finally, a 2005 meta-analysis was conducted on 22 studies employing a variety of psychosocial treatments for pathological gambling, including CBT, aversion therapy, imaginal desensitisation and Gamblers Anonymous (Pallesen et al., 2005). Favourable results were found compared to no treatment at post-treatment and 17 months follow-up (overall effect size = 2.01, p < .01).