Treatment for the concerned significant others of gamblers: A systematic review.

J Behav Addict

1 Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Department of Public Health Solutions, The Alcohol, Drugs and Addictions Unit, Helsinki, Finland.

Published: March 2022

AI Article Synopsis

  • - The study evaluates interventions for concerned significant others (CSOs) of gamblers, aiming to assess their benefits and explore treatment processes through the Stress-Strain-Coping-Support model (SSCS).
  • - A systematic review of research databases found 19 relevant studies, highlighting nine different interventions, but none demonstrated superior outcomes for mental health measures like depression and anxiety.
  • - Key themes in the treatment process included communication, coping skills, and social support, with a discussion on the importance of tailored interventions and better-designed future research to measure effectiveness.

Article Abstract

Background And Aims: Research recognizes the extent of harm experienced by concerned significant others (CSOs) of gamblers. This systematic review's aims are to examine the interventions for CSOs, evaluate potential benefits, and thematically describe treatment processes. The Stress-Strain-Coping-Support model (SSCS) served as the theoretical framework.

Methods: Database searches were conducted in: MEDLINE, CINAHL Complete, Web of Science Core Collection, Social Services Abstracts, Applied Social Science Index and Abstracts, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and APA PsycInfo (between 01/Jan 2011-10/Jun 2021). Other search methods were also utilized. Inclusion criteria: interventions for CSOs with CSO specific outcomes. The Evidence Project Risk of Bias Tool was used for assessment.

Results: 19/768 records were included. Nine interventions were utilized: 3 CSO directed, 4 for couples, and 2 low threshold online interventions. A quantitative synthesis (N = 7 studies) of effect size estimates for depression and anxiety measures didn't indicate any intervention to have better outcomes than others. Core themes in the treatment process identified in the qualitative synthesis (N = 7) included: information and understanding, social support, coping skills, communication, and strain. Limitations in the evidence related to sampling, control-conditions and outcome measurements.

Discussion And Conclusion: Several interventions were identified, yet no specific interventions appeared more beneficial than others. Using the SSCS model, commonalities and differences in intervention content were identified, along with themes that influence treatment processes. The need for tailored interventions is discussed. Future treatment efficacy research should carefully select study designs and outcome measurements. PROSPERO (CRD42021229408).

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9109622PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1556/2006.2021.00088DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

gamblers systematic
8
interventions csos
8
treatment processes
8
interventions
7
treatment
5
treatment concerned
4
concerned gamblers
4
systematic review
4
review background
4
background aims
4

Similar Publications

Article Synopsis
  • High rates of psychiatric comorbidities, including psychotic disorders, are observed in individuals with problem gambling (PBG), impacting their treatment and recovery.* -
  • A systematic review of 22 studies found the overall prevalence of psychotic disorders among PBG individuals to be 4.9%, with variations based on whether they were in treatment or surveyed.* -
  • The review emphasizes the importance of screening for psychotic disorders and other mental health conditions in problem gamblers to better address their recovery needs.*
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Neurophysiological Correlates of Near-Wins in Gambling: A Systematic Literature Review.

J Gambl Stud

August 2024

Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, Porto, 4200-135, Portugal.

Identification of specific patterns of brain activity related to problem gambling may provide a deeper understanding of its underlying mechanisms, highlighting the importance of neurophysiological studies to better understand development and persistence of gambling behavior. The patterns of cognitive functioning have been investigated through electroencephalography (EEG) studies based on the near-win/near-miss (NW) effect. The main goal of the present study was to evaluate the neurophysiological basis of NWs and their modulation by gambling problems through a systematic review of event-related potentials (ERP) studies elicited by feedback events.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Aims: Subjective confidence plays an important role in guiding behaviour, especially when objective feedback is unavailable. Systematic misjudgements in confidence can foster maladaptive behaviours and have been linked to various psychiatric disorders. In this study, we adopted a transdiagnostic approach to examine confidence biases in problem gamblers across three levels: local decision confidence, global task performance confidence, and overall self-esteem.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Mandatory breaks have been discussed as a harm reduction strategy in the context of gambling for several years, but their effectiveness remains unclear. The TESSA pilot study examines the association of physiological arousal (PA) and mandatory breaks during gambling with an aim to conceptualize the framework for a subsequent randomized controlled trial.

Material And Methods: In a one-armed experimental pilot study 28 participants engaged in a simulated online slot game with mandatory breaks.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Disorders of gambling are more common among the mentally ill, including in people with psychotic disorders. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature regarding the prevalence and correlates of gambling disorders in people with psychotic disorders. We systematically reviewed English-language literature through searches of six bibliographic databases, all run on 11 November 2022: Medline ALL, Embase, Emcare, APA PsycINFO, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Notice

Message: fwrite(): Write of 34 bytes failed with errno=28 No space left on device

Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php

Line Number: 272

Backtrace:

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: session_write_close(): Failed to write session data using user defined save handler. (session.save_path: /var/lib/php/sessions)

Filename: Unknown

Line Number: 0

Backtrace: