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Control versus abstinence in the treatment of pathological gambling: a two to nine year follow‐up
Author(s) -
BLASZCZYNSKI A.,
McCONAGHY N.,
FRANKOVA A.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
british journal of addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0952-0481
DOI - 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1991.tb01782.x
Subject(s) - psychology , abstinence , psychopathology , anxiety , clinical psychology , sensation seeking , beck depression inventory , psychiatry , depression (economics) , minnesota multiphasic personality inventory , personality , hypomania , mood , mania , bipolar disorder , social psychology , economics , macroeconomics
A structured gambling interview schedule, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Spielberger's State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory, Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale and Beck Depression Inventory were administered to 63 out of 120 pathological gamblers who had 5 years previously completed a behavioural treatment for uncontrollable gambling behaviour. Results indicated that both abstinence and controlled gambling outcomes were associated with continued improvement in self‐report and psychological indices of social functioning and psychopathology. Response to treatment was associated with a reduction in arousal levels, anxiety and depression. Uncontrolled gamblers failed to show post‐treatment changes on parameters of improvement. It was concluded that abstinence is not the only possible therapeutic outcome in behavioural treatment and further, that controlled gambling is not a temporary response which is followed by a return to continued uncontrollable gambling.