Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28235970›Full record

Trial reportBMJ open2017

GAMBLINGLESS: FOR LIFE study protocol: a pragmatic randomised trial of an online cognitive-behavioural programme for disordered gambling.

S S Merkouris, S N Rodda, D Austin, D I Lubman, P Harvey, M Battersby, J Cunningham, T Lavis, D Smith, N A Dowling

Open access · goldAbstract readPragmatic Clinical Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMJ open, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed
2.6field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

16 citing papers in PubMed, 22 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.

S S MerkourisSchool of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
S N RoddaSchool of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
D AustinSchool of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
D I LubmanTurning Point, Eastern Health, Fitzroy, Australia.
P HarveySchool of Medicine, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
M BattersbySchool of Medicine, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
J CunninghamCentre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
T LavisSchool of Medicine, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
D SmithSchool of Medicine, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
N A DowlingSchool of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
Flinders University · AUDeakin University · AUAuckland University of Technology · NZCentre for Addiction and Mental Health · CAEastern Health · AUUniversity of Melbourne · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe prevalence of disordered gambling worldwide has been estimated at 2.3%. Only a small minority of disordered gamblers seek specialist face-to-face treatment, and so a need for alternative treatment delivery models that capitalise on advances in communication technology, and use self-directed activity that can complement existing services has been identified. As such, the primary aim of this study is to evaluate an online self-directed cognitive-behavioural programme for disordered gambling (GamblingLess: For Life). METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The study will be a 2-arm, parallel group, pragmatic randomised trial. Participants will be randomly allocated to a pure self-directed (PSD) or guided self-directed (GSD) intervention. Participants in both groups will be asked to work through the 4 modules of the GamblingLess programme over 8 weeks. Participants in the GSD intervention will also receive weekly emails of guidance and support from a gambling counsellor. A total of 200 participants will be recruited. Participants will be eligible if they reside in Australia, are aged 18 years and over, have access to the internet, have adequate knowledge of the English language, are seeking help for their own gambling problems and are willing to take part in the intervention and associated assessments. Assessments will be conducted at preintervention, and at 2, 3 and 12 months from preintervention. The primary outcome is gambling severity, assessed using the Gambling Symptom Assessment Scale. Secondary outcomes include gambling frequency, gambling expenditure, psychological distress, quality of life and additional help-seeking. Qualitative interviews will also be conducted with a subsample of participants and the Guides (counsellors). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study has been approved by the Deakin University Human Research and Eastern Health Human Research Ethics Committees. Findings will be disseminated via report, peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12615000864527; results.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultAgedAustraliaCognitive Behavioral TherapyFemaleGamblingHumansInternetLogistic ModelsMaleMiddle AgedQuality of LifeResearch DesignYoung AdultGambling DisorderOnlineRandomised Trialself-directed

Identifiers

PMID28235970
PMCPMC5337748
OpenAlexW2589557221

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.