An interventional study of Personalized Normative Feedback in Gambling Disorder, sponsored by Universidad Miguel Hernandez de Elche. Completed at 1 site in Spain. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 34 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-01-30.
Sponsored by Universidad Miguel Hernandez de Elche · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
The goal of this study is to investigate if personalized online normative feedback (PONF) can increase intention to change and help-seeking behaviors in young adults with gambling or trading problems in Spain. The main questions it aims to answer are:
Researchers will compare three groups:
Participants will:
Despite the availability of treatment options, the percentage of individuals with problem gambling who seek help or treatment remains low. To reach a larger number of pathological gamblers, other forms of online or self-guided interventions have been developed, with personalised normative feedback (NPF) being the most widely applied modality in the prevention of problem gambling in the young adult population. However, the majority of studies on the efficacy of PNF only assess its impact on the intensity and severity of gambling behaviour, and do not analyse its potential effect on increasing intention to change and treatment-seeking behaviour. Furthermore, there is a lack of studies analyzing the efficacy of NPF in reducing new forms of online money spending linked to pathological gambling, such as betting on video games and excessive trading of financial assets, including cryptocurrencies.
The present project has two objectives: (1) to quantify the intention to change and the prevalence of help-seeking behaviours in the Spanish young adult population with pathological gambling or trading behaviours; and (2) to analyze the effectiveness of personalised online normative feedback (PONF) to increase intention to change and help-seeking in this population.
The study will employ a randomised controlled design (three Solomon groups) with one intervention group and two control groups. The study will involve a sample of at least 656 men and women living in Spain, aged between 18 and 34 years. The impact of receiving FNPO on gambling and trading behaviour will be analysed over a 12-week period. This will include an assessment of the intention to change and treatment seeking, as well as the longitudinal trajectory of gambling and trading behaviours (in terms of intensity, frequency and severity). Furthermore, individual, interpersonal and contextual factors will be evaluated in order to ascertain the profile of those with gambling and trading issues who may derive the greatest benefit from this type of intervention.
This project is pioneering both nationally and internationally. Furthermore, this study will assess for the first time the intention to change and help-seeking in young adults with gambling behaviour (in traditional and new formats such as video games) and pathological trading. It will also develop and analyze the effectiveness of the first tool to mobilize change and reduce the prevalence of these behaviours. Furthermore, the study design will enable an independent assessment of the impact of both the intervention and the assessment of pathological gambling and trading behaviours on the individual.
158 studies on the registry are indexed under Gambling; 42 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 1,112 is above the median of 66 across 128 interventional studies indexed under Gambling.
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Participants' eligibility will be assessed based on sociodemographic variables and measures of psychological distress, suicidal behavior, sleep quality and substance use. Eligible participants for the study on PONF's effect on intention to change and help-seeking behavior in young adults with gambling or trading problems must meet the following inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants in this group complete a pre-assessment measuring intention to change, help-seeking behavior, and gambling and trading behaviors (e.g., frequency and spending). They then receive personalized online normative feedback (PONF) based on their initial assessment and subsequently complete a post-assessment including the same outcomes. Within this intervention arm, participants are randomly assigned to one of two predefined assessment sequences (PNF-A vs. PNF-B), differing only in the timing of the post-intervention assessment of gambling and trading behaviors. This sequencing is implemented exclusively to support secondary analyses of potential reporting reactivity (e.g., social desirability) and does not involve any differences in intervention content, delivery, or assessment of the primary motivational outcomes.
Behavioral: Personalized Normative Feedback
Participants in this group will complete both pre- and post-assessments on intention to change, help-seeking behavior, and gambling/trading behaviors. However, they will not receive any feedback. This group serves as a comparison to both intervention groups.
This group will complete only the post-assessment, measuring intention to change, help-seeking behavior, and gambling/trading behaviors, without completing a pre-test or receiving feedback, to independently analyze the immediate effects of the pre-test.
Those participating in this condition will receive a personalised brief report which summarises the results of their initial assessment. The PONF will comprise the following elements: (1) Details of the main gambling and trading activities performed, including frequency of engagement and amount of money spent; (2) Scores on the criteria of pathological trading and/or PGSI (problem gambling), together with an interpretation of the results and the level of severity. All results will be accompanied by graphs enabling participants to compare their scores with the average scores of the Spanish population of the same sex and age range. To prevent an increase in behaviour in participants whose frequency or intensity of gambling/trading is below the norm, as recommended by Newall et al. (2023), the normative data will include extreme averages and percentages. All participants assigned to the PNF intervention receive identical feedback content, regardless of assessment sequencing.
Intention to change
The study will assess intention to change and help-seeking behavior using three custom items. In the initial assessment, participants will respond to a dichotomous question regarding whether they have considered reducing or abandoning gambling/trading in the past year. They will also rate the likelihood of engaging in these behaviors over the next 12 months on a scale from 0% (not likely) to 100% (very likely). Finally, participants will indicate their goal regarding their gambling/trading behavior, choosing from options to reduce, increase, maintain, or cease the behavior.
Time frame: Baseline, immediate follow-up (after PONF), 3-month follow-up
Treatment-seeking behavior
Treatment-seeking behavior will be assessed during the initial evaluation using a the following question: "Have you ever sought professional help, advice from family or friends, or done something on your own to limit or reduce your \[gambling/trading\] behavior?" If participants answer "yes," they will complete the Help-Seeking Questionnaire (HSQ), which includes 14 items assessing in-person (e.g., seeing a psychologist), remote (e.g., calling a helpline), and self-directed (e.g., reading forums or searching websites) help-seeking behaviors.
Time frame: Baseline, immediate follow-up (after PONF), 3-month follow-up
Gambling and trading behaviors
The frequency and intensity of gambling and trading behaviors will be assessed with ad-hoc items. Gambling behavior will be evaluated with reference to the last year during the initial and post-test assessments, and for the last month during the 3-month follow-up. Trading behavior will focus on financial operations, types of trading, and frequency of market monitoring. A dichotomous item will also assess whether participants engage in professional or amateur trading.
Time frame: Baseline, immediate follow-up (after PONF), 3-month follow-up
Disordered gambling
The Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) and the Gambling Disorder Identification Test (GDIT) will be used to assess problem gambling. The Problem Gambling Severity Index (9 items) categorises participants as non-problem, low-risk, moderate-risk, or problem gambling. The total score ranges from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating a greater severity of gambling problems. The investigators will adapt the Gambling Disorder Identification Test, a 14-item Likert scale, to Spanish and validate it as a new measure. It evaluates gambling behaviours, symptoms, and negative consequences, categorising participants as non-gamblers, recreational gamblers, or problematic gamblers (mild, moderate, severe). The total score of the scale ranges from 0 to 62, with higher scores indicating more severe gambling disorder.
Time frame: Baseline, 3-month follow-up
Disordered trading
Trading Disorder Scale which is based on the diagnostic criteria for gambling disorder from the DSM-5, adapted to evaluate problematic trading behaviors. This scale evaluates various dimensions of addictive behavior, including tolerance, withdrawal, loss of control, craving, social impairment, and continued engagement despite negative consequences. The total score of the scale ranges from 0 to 13, with scores ≥5 indicates the possible presence of disordered trading.
Time frame: Baseline, 3-month follow-up
Gambling and trading-related harms
An adapted version of the Short Gambling Harm Screen will be used to evaluate harms related to both gambling and trading activities, employing a yes/no response format. Scores range from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater gambling/trading-related harm.
Time frame: Baseline and 3-month follow-up
Gambling and trading self-efficacy
The Brief Situational Questionnaire, adapted for gambling and trading behaviors, will assess self-efficacy in resisting gambling or trading across 10 specific scenarios. Scores range from 0 to 100, reflecting the degree of self-efficacy to resist these behaviors, with higher scores indicating stronger self-efficacy in handling such situations.
Time frame: Baseline and 3-month follow-up
Peer gambling and trading
It will be assessed using a custom dichotomous item (yes/no) that evaluates whether the participant's friends or family engage in gambling, trading or financial investments.
Time frame: Baseline
Satisfaction and perceived usefulness
Feedback on the satisfaction with the personalized normative feedback received and the perceived usefulness of the information provided will be assessed using a 4-point Likert questionnaire (only in intervention groups). Scores range from 1 to 4, with higher scores reflect greater satisfaction and perceived usefulness of the PONF.
Time frame: Immediate follow-up
Plan to share: No
This study is completed, as verified in Jan 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Universidad Miguel Hernandez de Elche