Demographic Factors Mediating Gambling Severity and Treatment Outcomes Among CalGETS Clients
Session Title
Poster session
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Start Date
27-5-2026 12:00 AM
Abstract
The California Gambling Education and Treatment Services Program (CalGETS) provides no-cost psychotherapy for individuals experiencing problem gambling. This study investigated how demographic factors influence initial gambling severity and treatment outcomes after 90 days for CalGETS clients. At intake, unemployed clients reported higher depression scores, younger clients reported greater anxiety and interference with normal activities, those with lower income reported stronger, more frequent urges to gamble, and those with less education reported poorer sleep and mental health. Overall, CalGETS treatment led to significant improvements across all measures of gambling severity and well-being. However, outcomes varied by subgroup. Unmarried clients showed smaller gains in life satisfaction and mental health, older adults improved less in reducing gambling’s interference with normal activities, and those with higher education showed smaller decreases in gambling urges. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual participants also reported smaller improvements in daily functioning. Additionally, results indicated that treatment delivered exclusively over the phone was less effective for treating co-occurring anxiety. These findings suggest that while the psychotherapy provided through the CalGETS program is effective overall, certain subpopulations may require more targeted support to achieve outcomes comparable to the general gambler population.
Demographic Factors Mediating Gambling Severity and Treatment Outcomes Among CalGETS Clients
The California Gambling Education and Treatment Services Program (CalGETS) provides no-cost psychotherapy for individuals experiencing problem gambling. This study investigated how demographic factors influence initial gambling severity and treatment outcomes after 90 days for CalGETS clients. At intake, unemployed clients reported higher depression scores, younger clients reported greater anxiety and interference with normal activities, those with lower income reported stronger, more frequent urges to gamble, and those with less education reported poorer sleep and mental health. Overall, CalGETS treatment led to significant improvements across all measures of gambling severity and well-being. However, outcomes varied by subgroup. Unmarried clients showed smaller gains in life satisfaction and mental health, older adults improved less in reducing gambling’s interference with normal activities, and those with higher education showed smaller decreases in gambling urges. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual participants also reported smaller improvements in daily functioning. Additionally, results indicated that treatment delivered exclusively over the phone was less effective for treating co-occurring anxiety. These findings suggest that while the psychotherapy provided through the CalGETS program is effective overall, certain subpopulations may require more targeted support to achieve outcomes comparable to the general gambler population.