The long and winding road to treatment for problem gambling: from problem awareness to treatment helpfulness

IF 3.6 2区医学 Q1 PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL

Addictive behaviors Pub Date : 2025-07-21 DOI:10.1016/j.addbeh.2025.108440

Youssef Allami , Robert J. Williams , Darren R. Christensen , Carrie A. Shaw , Daniel S. McGrath , Rhys M.G. Stevens , Fiona Nicoll , Hyoun S. Kim , David C. Hodgins

{"title":"The long and winding road to treatment for problem gambling: from problem awareness to treatment helpfulness","authors":"Youssef Allami , Robert J. Williams , Darren R. Christensen , Carrie A. Shaw , Daniel S. McGrath , Rhys M.G. Stevens , Fiona Nicoll , Hyoun S. Kim , David C. Hodgins","doi":"10.1016/j.addbeh.2025.108440","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Only a minority of individuals with problem gambling (PG) seek specialized treatment, often doing so only after experiencing significant problems for many years. To better understand the trigger points and pathways that lead individuals to treatment, this mixed-methods study recruited 65 Canadian adults currently receiving treatment for PG. Using a Timeline Follow-Back methodology, participants recalled key trigger points that led them to recognize their gambling problems and ultimately seek professional treatment. Their treatment histories for substance use, mental health, and gambling problems were also assessed, including the ages at which these treatments occurred. Additionally, participants responded to open-ended questions about how various gambling-specific treatment modalities were helpful to them. The delay between recognizing gambling problems and seeking help was about four years. Participants tended to first seek help from friends or family, whereas religious counselling generally came last. A content analysis of responses identified key categories related to trigger points, initial attempts to limit gambling, and the perceived benefits of specialized treatment. Financial problems were identified as both the most frequent triggers for problem recognition and for initiating change. Among participants who had previously sought specialized help for substance use problems, gambling problems emerged concurrently to these treatment episodes. These findings highlight the interconnectedness of mental health, substance use, and PG and provide valuable insights into how individuals with gambling problems can be encouraged to seek help that aligns with their specific needs. Public health implications include improving support access and screening for gambling in mental health and addiction services.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7155,"journal":{"name":"Addictive behaviors","volume":"170 ","pages":"Article 108440"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Addictive behaviors","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306460325002011","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Only a minority of individuals with problem gambling (PG) seek specialized treatment, often doing so only after experiencing significant problems for many years. To better understand the trigger points and pathways that lead individuals to treatment, this mixed-methods study recruited 65 Canadian adults currently receiving treatment for PG. Using a Timeline Follow-Back methodology, participants recalled key trigger points that led them to recognize their gambling problems and ultimately seek professional treatment. Their treatment histories for substance use, mental health, and gambling problems were also assessed, including the ages at which these treatments occurred. Additionally, participants responded to open-ended questions about how various gambling-specific treatment modalities were helpful to them. The delay between recognizing gambling problems and seeking help was about four years. Participants tended to first seek help from friends or family, whereas religious counselling generally came last. A content analysis of responses identified key categories related to trigger points, initial attempts to limit gambling, and the perceived benefits of specialized treatment. Financial problems were identified as both the most frequent triggers for problem recognition and for initiating change. Among participants who had previously sought specialized help for substance use problems, gambling problems emerged concurrently to these treatment episodes. These findings highlight the interconnectedness of mental health, substance use, and PG and provide valuable insights into how individuals with gambling problems can be encouraged to seek help that aligns with their specific needs. Public health implications include improving support access and screening for gambling in mental health and addiction services.

查看原文本刊更多论文

问题赌博的治疗之路漫长而曲折：从问题意识到治疗帮助

只有少数有问题赌博（PG）的人寻求专门的治疗，通常只有在经历了多年的严重问题之后才这样做。为了更好地了解导致个人接受治疗的触发点和途径，这项混合方法研究招募了65名目前正在接受PG治疗的加拿大成年人。使用时间线跟踪方法，参与者回忆了导致他们认识到自己的赌博问题并最终寻求专业治疗的关键触发点。他们的药物使用、心理健康和赌博问题的治疗史也被评估，包括这些治疗发生的年龄。此外，参与者还回答了关于各种赌博特定治疗方式对他们有何帮助的开放式问题。从认识到赌博问题到寻求帮助的时间延迟了大约四年。参与者倾向于首先向朋友或家人寻求帮助，而宗教咨询通常排在最后。对回应的内容分析确定了与触发点、最初限制赌博的尝试以及专业治疗的感知益处相关的关键类别。财务问题被认为是问题识别和开始变革的最常见诱因。在那些曾经为药物使用问题寻求专门帮助的参与者中，赌博问题与这些治疗事件同时出现。这些发现强调了心理健康、药物使用和PG之间的相互联系，并为如何鼓励有赌博问题的个人寻求符合其特定需求的帮助提供了有价值的见解。对公共卫生的影响包括改善心理健康和成瘾服务机构对赌博的支持和筛查。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Addictive behaviors 医学-药物滥用

CiteScore

8.40

自引率

4.50%

发文量

283

审稿时长

46 days

期刊介绍： Addictive Behaviors is an international peer-reviewed journal publishing high quality human research on addictive behaviors and disorders since 1975. The journal accepts submissions of full-length papers and short communications on substance-related addictions such as the abuse of alcohol, drugs and nicotine, and behavioral addictions involving gambling and technology. We primarily publish behavioral and psychosocial research but our articles span the fields of psychology, sociology, psychiatry, epidemiology, social policy, medicine, pharmacology and neuroscience. While theoretical orientations are diverse, the emphasis of the journal is primarily empirical. That is, sound experimental design combined with valid, reliable assessment and evaluation procedures are a requisite for acceptance. However, innovative and empirically oriented case studies that might encourage new lines of inquiry are accepted as well. Studies that clearly contribute to current knowledge of etiology, prevention, social policy or treatment are given priority. Scholarly commentaries on topical issues, systematic reviews, and mini reviews are encouraged. We especially welcome multimedia papers that incorporate video or audio components to better display methodology or findings. Studies can also be submitted to Addictive Behaviors? companion title, the open access journal Addictive Behaviors Reports, which has a particular interest in ''non-traditional'', innovative and empirically-oriented research such as negative/null data papers, replication studies, case reports on novel treatments, and cross-cultural research.