Effects of cognitive behavioral techniques for gambling on recovery defined by gambling, psychological functioning, and quality of life: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Individuals who experience gambling harms report that sustained recovery involves changing both gambling behaviors and psychological symptoms, as well as building a meaningful life. However, there is limited understanding about the effect of cognitive behavioral (CB) techniques on psychological symptoms and quality of life. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of CB techniques for gambling-related harms on broader recovery outcomes such as psychological symptoms and quality of life.
Method: A systematic article search was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials of CB techniques with nonactive and minimal treatment control groups that assessed psychological symptoms or quality of life as outcomes. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to examine the effect of CB techniques relative to nonactive and minimal treatment control groups.
Results: A total of nine studies representing 658 participants were included. Eight studies reported outcomes on depression and anxiety, three on substance use, and six on quality of life. CB techniques significantly reduced anxiety ( g = -0.44) and depression ( g = -0.35) at posttreatment, but not substance use. CB techniques also significantly increased quality of life at posttreatment ( g = 0.40). There was a large amount of heterogeneity suggesting the magnitude of effects could vary significantly in future randomized trials.
Conclusions: Future studies should examine the longitudinal associations between gambling harms, psychological symptoms, and quality of life and to assess whether changes in gambling harms throughout treatment precede or are a consequence of changes in psychological symptoms and quality of life. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).