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Effective interventions for the treatment of gambling that is associated with harm: Rapid Evidence review

Author: National Centre for Social Research Published: December 2024
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Summary

The review explored the effectiveness of psychological and psychosocial interventions in reducing gambling-related harms, bringing together evidence from studies between 2020 and 2024.

Topics covered

  • The effectiveness of a range of interventions for gambling-related harm, including CBT, motivational interviewing, and exposure therapy.
  • Gaps in research, particularly regarding how gambling harms are measured and limited evidence around the effectiveness of combined methods.
  • The barriers and enablers of effectiveness, particularly for women or people from ethnic minority backgrounds who experience greater stigma.
  • The importance of addressing broader social and health factors alongside gambling harm.
  • Recommendations for service providers and future research.

Key findings

  • CBT has the greatest volume of robust evidence about its effectiveness and has shown positive results for treating gambling harm in the short term. However, it is not a catch-all for reducing gambling harm and services should be tailored to the needs of the individual.
  • Other approaches such as motivational interviewing and feedback interventions are shown to be effective, but much of the evidence for these interventions is primarily qualitative or focusses on behavioural measures.
  • Overall, the type of intervention and approach should be informed by individual needs and preferences of those experiencing gambling harm.
  • There was evidence that combining interventions like CBT with Motivational Interventions may improve effectiveness of treatment. A variety of methods should be available to those seeking treatment for gambling-related harms.
  • Many people experiencing gambling harm face co-occurring issues, highlighting the need for holistic support and aftercare and establishing a need for links with services in the mental health sector.

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