Longitudinal Assessment of a Manualized Group Treatment Program for Gambling Disorder: The Ohio Problem Gambling Treatment Model for Adults with Co-Occurring Disorders

• Published in: Journal of gambling studies Vol. 38; no. 4; pp. 1493 - 1502
• Main Authors: Kruse-Diehr, Aaron J., Shamblen, Stephen R., Courser, Matthew W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Addictions; Best practice; Community and Environmental Psychology; Comorbidity; Curricula; Disorders; Economics; Gambling; Group therapy; Handbooks; Health behavior; Health status; Help seeking behavior; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental disorders; Mental health services; Original Paper; Pathological gambling; Psychiatry; Psychosocial factors; Self esteem; Sociology; Treatment programs; United States > US; Ohio; Gambling disorder; Behavioral health; Co-occurring disorders; Manualized treatment
• ISSN: 1573-3602; 1050-5350; 1573-3602
• DOI: 10.1007/s10899-021-10089-0

Individuals with gambling disorder (GD) experience a host of negative psychosocial and physical health outcomes, yet few seek treatment. Of particular concern are individuals with co-occurring mental and behavioral health disorders, a group at higher risk for GD in the state of Ohio. To better serve this population, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services developed a group-based GD treatment manual for adults with co-occurring disorders. Over the course of 5 years, 353 individuals engaged in at least some of the manual’s 12 weekly modules, and more than one-third ( n  = 122) completed the entire curriculum. Participants who completed all 12 modules completed pre-and post-tests, and after controlling for covariates, participants significantly decreased their GD symptom severity, though changes in self-esteem and gambling urges were non-significant. These findings suggest the treatment manual holds promise at reducing gambling behaviors for individuals with co-occurring disorders, but further research is warranted to explore best practices on how to intervene on the psychological antecedents to gambling in this population.