ACT-Based Intervention for Problem Gambling
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Problem Gambling. Basic parameters: 18 years — 25 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Spain
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
Efficacy of a Group Intervention Grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to Address Problem Gambling in Youth: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Overview
The goal of this randomized clinical trial is to study if Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is effective to treat Problem Gambling in young adults.The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does ACT therapy improve health and gambling behavior? * Are the clinical improvements of youth with gambling disorder receiving ACT-based intervention significantly greater than the clinical improvements of youth with gambling disorder on the waiting list? 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 clinical trial will include a control group.
Interventions
- Behavioral Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy methods were focused on promoting Values clarification, Acceptance, Cognitive defusion, Committed action and Flexible attention to the present moment, and included methods such as the Garden Metaphor or defusion training.
Primary outcome measures
- Change in Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) [Time frame: Change from Baseline severity of problem gambling at 8 months]
Secondary outcome measures (8)
- Change in Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-28) [Time frame: Change from Baseline emotion regulation at 8 months]
- Change in General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) [Time frame: Change from Baseline psychological distress and perceived general health at 8 months]
- Change in the Comprehensive ACT Process Assessment Questionnaire (CompACT) [Time frame: Change from Baseline psychological flexibility at 8 months]
- Change in Values Living Questionnaire (VLQ) [Time frame: Change from Baseline value-behavior alignment at 8 months]
- Change in Gambling-Related Emotional Distress Scale [Time frame: Change from Baseline gambling-related distress at 8 months]
- Change in Gambling-Related Experiential Avoidance scale [Time frame: Change from Baseline Experiential Avoidance at 8 months]
- Change in the frequency of self-reported gambling behaviors [Time frame: Change from Baseline gambling behaviors at 8 months]
- Change in the frequency of committed actions [Time frame: Change from Baseline committed actions at 8 months]
Eligibility criteria
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
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Single blind
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
Spain · 1 center
- Universidad Europea de Madrid — Villaviciosa de Odón
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07066501 · CEIm25/04