The Efficacy of a Personalized Feedback-Only Intervention for At-Risk College Gamblers

Objective: College students have been shown to be at higher risk than the general adult population for gambling-related problems. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of a personalized feedback only intervention (PFB) among at-risk college student gamblers. Method: Three hundr...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Journal of consulting and clinical psychology 2015-06, Vol.83 (3), p.494-499
Hauptverfasser: Martens, Matthew P., Arterberry, Brooke J., Takamatsu, Stephanie K., Masters, Joan, Dude, Kim
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:Volltext
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Objective: College students have been shown to be at higher risk than the general adult population for gambling-related problems. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of a personalized feedback only intervention (PFB) among at-risk college student gamblers. Method: Three hundred thirty-three college students who met screening criteria were randomized into 1 of 3 conditions: PFB, education only (EDU), or assessment only (AO). Results: At 3-month follow-up, individuals in the PFB condition reported fewer dollars gambled and fewer gambling-related problems than those in the AO condition. There were no differences between those in the EDU and the AO conditions, or between those in the PFB and the EDU conditions. Conclusion: These findings are consistent with clinical trials examining other health behaviors, and have implications for the development and delivery of effective intervention programming for at-risk gamblers. What is the public health significance of this article? This study suggests that personalized feedback, even when delivered in the absence of a meeting with a clinician, can be effective at reducing harmful gambling-related behaviors among college students. This type of intervention might be relatively easy and inexpensive to disseminate.
ISSN:0022-006X
1939-2117
DOI:10.1037/a0038843