Don't Go There: A Geospatial mHealth App for Gambling Disorder
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
The goal of this project is to develop and to test the efficacy of a novel mHealth app for gambling disorder. The app capitalizes on smartphones' global positioning software (GPS) that recognizes a user's location to within 15 feet. Users will receive an alert of this go near a gambling venue. The project will conduct a 12-week pilot randomized clinical trial to test the short-term efficacy of the app with gambling disorder individuals.
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Experimental: mHealth App Participants will receive the gambling disorder mHealth app. |
Behavioral: mHealth App
The app uses smartphones' global positioning software (GPS) that recognizes a user's location to within 15 feet. The app will construct a customizable geofence (e.g., 3 miles) around a gambler's favored gambling venue (e.g., casino, gas station). If the individual crosses the fence boundary his or her phone will raise the alarm with a personalized motivational message.
|
| No Intervention: Wait List Control Participant will be placed on a wait list for 12 weeks, after which they will be offered the gambling disorder mHealth app. |
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- App usage (feasibility) [From baseline to post-treatment (12 weeks)]
Number of days the app is active on a user's smartphone. Days can range from 0 to 84.
- Patient satisfaction with the gambling app [From baseline to post-treatment (12 weeks)]
Investigator derived patient satisfaction self-report questionnaire. Five items, using a 7-point Likert scale from very dissatisfied (1) to very satisfied (7). Higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Secondary Outcome Measures
- Gambling behavior via Timeline Followback (Weinstock, Whelan, & Meyers, 2004) [From baseline to post-treatment (12 weeks)]
Self-report gambling frequency and intensity as assessed by the Gambling Timeline Followback - a retrospective self-report calendar. Gambling frequency can range from 0 to 84; gambling intensity is measured in $ and time (hours). Dollars wagered can range from $0 to unlimited $. Time is measured in hours and can range from 0 to >1,000 hours. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome.
- Gambling-related harms (Browne et al., 2018) [From baseline to post-treatment (12 weeks)]
Self-reported gambling harms as assessed by the 72-item Gambling-Related Harms Questionnaire (yes/no responses). Scores range from 0 to 72. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome.
- Quality of Life Inventory (Frisch et al., 1994). A self-reported quality of life measure assessing 17 domains of life for importance and satisfaction. [From baseline to post-treatment (12 weeks)]
Self-report quality of life questionnaire. Participants rate 17 domains on importance (range not at all important [0] to extremely important [2]). The 17 domains are then rated on how satisfied the individual is regards to his or her life (-3 [very dissatisfied] to 3 [very dissatisfied]). A total score is then generated by summing the product of importance multiplied by satisfaction. Scores range from 0 to 102. Higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
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Currently meets DSM-5 criteria for gambling disorder
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At least 4 non-online gambling episodes in past 60 days
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Wagering at least $100 total over past 60 days
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Willingness to accept random assignment
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English speaking
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Android phone user
Exclusion Criteria:
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Age <18 years old
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Severely disruptive behavior
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Serious uncontrolled psychiatric behavior that requires acute psychiatric care
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Decline permission to collect zero permission data from smartphone.
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saint Louis University | Saint Louis | Missouri | United States | 63108 |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- St. Louis University
- National Center for Responsible Gaming
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Jeremiah Weinstock, PhD, St. Louis University
Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
None provided.- 30494