Treatment development in problem and pathological gambling

This study is an exploration, though ethnographic and auto-ethnographic inquiry, of the personal world, gambling experiences and underlying biopsychosocial vulnerabilities of tree individual case studies—one male and two females—each representing a different sub-type of pathological gambler. It comprises the integration and implementation of a psycho-structural stage matching model to explore comorbidity and identify certain biopsychosocial manifestations in the respective stages of pathological gambling. Long term treatment strategies were identified and patient treatment matching was explored. Further, it comprises my personal relationship and therapeutic treatment of these sub-types of gamblers over a period of one year and longer.

In this study it is hypothesized that formulating appropriate matching long term treatment strategies should be based on the stage of change, the phase in the psycho-structural model, as well as the gambler's underlying vulnerability. From this a comprehensive gambling disposition profile can be completed with proper intervention matching approaches. A number of other hypotheses emerged from this study that could provide valuable information and serve as a guideline to those working with pathological gamblers.

Key Terms. Gambling addiction; pathological gambling; problem gambling; comorbidity; auto-ethnographic inquiry; individual case studies; personal disposition; biopsychosocial vulnerability; codependency, situational and structural determinants; psycho-structural interaction model; cycle of problem gambling; gambling disposition profile; treatment development; components of treatment; long term treatment considerations; treatment matching; therapeutic approach.