Brief Group Intervention Based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Problem Gambling: A Pilot Study
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Not yet recruiting
- Sponsor
- Enrollment
- 5
- Locations
- 2
- Primary Endpoint
- Change in Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI)
Study Overview
Brief Summary
The goal of this pilot study is to learn if Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) works to treat Problem Gambling in young adults.The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Does ACT therapy improve health and gambling behavior?
- Is an 8-week online group therapy format viable for youth with gambling problems? Researchers will assess whether changes in health, gambling behavior, and other psychological variables are observed after eight weeks of therapy.
Participants will:
- Attend weekly online group sessions for 8 weeks
- Learn new tools that they will put into practice after the sessions
- Be required to complete evaluation questionnaires before and after the intervention and at the 3- and 6-month follow-up
Detailed Description
After being informed about the study, all patients giving written informed consent will be assessed to determine eligibility for study entry.
Patients who meet eligibility requirements will receive psychological intervention consisting in an 8-session group on line-delivered ACT-based treatment.
The participants will be assessed through self-report instruments before and after treatment and at 3 and 6 months follow-up.
The pilot study will not include a control group.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Na
- Intervention Model
- Single Group
- Primary Purpose
- Treatment
- Masking
- None
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to 25 Years (Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria
- •Age between 18 and 25 years
- •Score ≥ 3 on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI)
- •Comprehension of Spanish, online connection, and signed consent
Exclusion Criteria
- •In active psychological or pharmacological treatment for gambling disorder
- •Having received ACT-based psychological treatment in the last 6 months
- •Problematic substance use: CAGE Adapted to Include Drugs Questionnaire (CAGE-AID) score ≥ 3
- •Difficulty consistently attending online sessions
Arms & Interventions
ACT group
8 group weekly sessions including ACT methods
Intervention: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) (Behavioral)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Change in Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI)
Time Frame: Change from Baseline severity of problem gambling at 8 months
The PGSI is a 9-item, 4-point Likert-format self-report scale (0 = never, 3 = almost always) that assesses the severity of problem gambling. Scores range from 0 to 27. A score of 8 or higher is considered indicative of problem gambling. Higher scores indicate greater severity of the disorder.
Secondary Outcomes
- Change in General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12)(Change from Baseline psychological distress and perceived general health at 8 months)
- Change in Values Living Questionnaire (VLQ)(Change from Baseline value-behavior alignment at 8 months)
- Change in Gambling-Related Experiential Avoidance scale(Change from Baseline Experiential Avoidance at 8 months)
- Change in the frequency of self-reported gambling behaviors(Change from Baseline gambling behaviors at 8 months)
- Change in the frequency of committed actions(Change from Baseline committed actions at 8 months)
- Change in the Comprehensive ACT Process Assessment Questionnaire (CompACT)(Change from Baseline psychological flexibility at 8 months)
- Change in Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-28)(Change from Baseline emotion regulation at 8 months)
- Change in General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12)(Change from Baseline psychological distress and perceived general health at 8 months)
- Change in the Comprehensive ACT Process Assessment Questionnaire (CompACT)(Change from Baseline psychological flexibility at 8 months)
- Change in Values Living Questionnaire (VLQ)(Change from Baseline value-behavior alignment at 8 months)
- Change in the frequency of self-reported gambling behaviors(Change from Baseline gambling behaviors at 8 months)
- Change in Gambling-Related Emotional Distress Scale(Change from Baseline gambling-related distress at 8 months)
- Change in Gambling-Related Experiential Avoidance scale(Change from Baseline Experiential Avoidance at 8 months)
- Change in the frequency of committed actions(Change from Baseline committed actions at 8 months)