Gambling-related cognitive distortions are associated with gambling disorder severity, but few studies have provided an in-depth examination of the interrelationship between cognitive distortions, gambling severity, psychiatric comorbidity and treatment outcomes. The present study sought to identify factors associated with elevated cognitive distortions among problem gamblers entering residential treatment, examine changes in cognitive distortions through treatment, and explore the association between cognitive distortions and treatment outcomes. Pre- and post-treatment data were extracted from the charts of 125 individuals who participated in a 21-day residential treatment program for gambling disorder. Assessments included measures of demographics, gambling disorder severity, psychiatric symptoms and gambling-related cognitive distortions. Several significant associations were found between baseline cognitive distortions and psychiatric symptoms. Cognitive distortions decreased significantly from pre- to post-treatment. Pre- to post-treatment changes on several cognitive distortion scales were positively associated with greater baseline psychiatric symptomology. Treatment drop-out was associated with higher scores on measures reflecting greater impulsivity/addiction and greater perceived predictive control. Gambling-related cognitive distortions represent an important mechanism of gambling disorder and its treatment and provide a target for the development and refinement of treatment for gambling disorder.
Keywords: Cognitive distortions; Gambler’s fallacy; Gambling disorder; Psychiatric comorbidity; Residential treatment; Treatment outcome.