Our key study question is whether an integrated focus on PG and PTSD (Seeking Safety; SS) offers a useful new option for clinical care compared to a purely problem gambling approach (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for PG; CBT-PG). This question-the impact of integrated versus non-integrated treatment for co-occurring disorders-is one of the key issues in the field currently and has never been studied in relation to PG and PTSD.
Our aims are:
1. To conduct an RCT of SS versus CBT-PG in a sample of 84 people with current PG and PTSD (full or subthreshold).
2. To evaluate outcomes from baseline to end of treatment and 12 month followup on two primary variables (money lost gambling and number of gambling sessions) and several secondary variables.
Our hypotheses are: (a) SS will do no worse than CBT-PG on the primary PG outcomes as both treatments are designed to address addiction; i.e., both will show improvement from baseline to end of treatment and maintenance of gains through the followup. (b) SS will show superior results on trauma symptoms as SS is designed to address those, whereas CBT-PG is not.
