Doiron Jason P, Nicki Richard M
Psychology Department, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Cogn Behav Ther. 2007;36(2):74-84. doi: 10.1080/16506070601092966.
Although the gambling industry is expanding rapidly throughout North America and around the world, there are only a few empirically evaluated programs aimed at the prevention of pathological gambling (PG). The purpose of this study was to measure the effectiveness of a new prevention program aimed at PG. The Stop & Think! program was designed to teach at-risk video lottery terminal (VLT) gamblers cognitive restructuring and problem-solving skills that may help to prevent the development of PG. These skills were taught through a variety of methods - including an automated educational presentation, video and text vignettes, audio training tapes, and skill rehearsal. The program was evaluated using a randomized, 2-group experimental design with a wait-list control group and pre-, post-, and follow-up measures. Results indicated that, compared with the control group, the experimental group was less at risk for developing a gambling problem after the program. The experimental group endorsed fewer gambling-related cognitive distortions, engaged in less VLT gambling, and had lower scores on a measure of PG. The results of this study provide the basis for the implementation of the Stop & Think! program in the province of Prince Edward Island, Canada, and perhaps other jurisdictions too.
尽管博彩业在北美乃至全球都在迅速扩张，但针对预防病态赌博（PG）的经过实证评估的项目却寥寥无几。本研究的目的是衡量一项针对病态赌博的新预防项目的效果。“停下来想一想！”项目旨在教授有视频彩票终端（VLT）赌博风险的人认知重构和解决问题的技能，这些技能可能有助于预防病态赌博的发展。这些技能通过多种方式传授，包括自动化教育演示、视频和文字 vignettes、音频培训磁带以及技能演练。该项目采用随机、两组实验设计，并设有等待名单对照组以及前后测和随访措施进行评估。结果表明，与对照组相比，实验组在项目结束后出现赌博问题的风险更低。实验组认可的与赌博相关的认知扭曲更少，参与视频彩票终端赌博的次数更少，并且在病态赌博测量中的得分更低。本研究结果为在加拿大爱德华王子岛省乃至其他司法管辖区实施“停下来想一想！”项目提供了依据。
