Gordon Moody Evaluation & Research Lead, Dr. Rosalind Baker-Frampton, has co-authored an evaluation report outlining the effectiveness of the Gordon Moody women-only residential treatment programme for those severely affected by gambling-related harms.
Background
Gordon Moody opened the UK’s first women-only full residential treatment centre in 2021, responding to the growing need for residential treatment for women experiencing gambling-related harms. Following the pilot, the programme was fully rolled out and moved to a new location in the West Midlands in June 2023.
Treatment currently consists of six weeks residential treatment with pre- and post-treatment support, along with recovery housing – step-down support before returning to living independently.
Introduction
A large proportion of the British population gambles regularly, with 53% of men and 43% of women in Great Britain having gambled in the past four weeks (Gambling Commission, 2024). GambleAware states that 35% of callers to the National Gambling Helpline are female, 23% of whom call about their own gambling (GamCare, 2024). Women are vulnerable to gambling-related harms (Sharman et al,. 2019a), and often present with a different clinical and psychological profile to men (Andronicos et al., 2015).
There is limited understanding of the factors that influence women’s engagement with gambling products, and the impact of industry tactics. It is therefore important to look at gambling harm and treatment effectiveness for women.
Research paramaters
68 women who attended the full residential treatment programme between November 2021 and November 2023. Women started gambling on average at 25.1 years old, with their gambling becoming harmful at around 30.5 years old. The average age when entering residential treatment was 43.1 years old (range from 21 – 64 years old).
The women were evaluated for their gambling behaviours using the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI); psychological distress levels – using Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (CORE-10); and anxiety and depression before and after treatment.
Women were support by trained therapists and support workers and took part in group and individual therapy sessions including: cognitive-behavioural therapy; motivational interviewing; interpersonal group therapy; and art therapy.
PGSI scores significantly dropped from an average of 21.2 (N=64) to 5.9 (N=54) after treatment, and remained at a level of 5.9 three months later (N=31). CORE-10 scores dropped from 18.8 (N=68) before treatment to 8.9 (N=57) after treatment, rising to 13.1 three months after treatment (N=29).
Before treatment, the majority of women scored above the clinical threshold for anxiety (80.4% of women) and depression (78% of women). These levels fell significantly after treatment (44.4% of women scored in clinical range for anxiety and 47.7% for depression).
Research outcomes
87% of the women completed the full residential programme. Three women did not complete the assessment week and were discharged with support into the community. Five women dropped out during treatment and one was discharged by mutual agreement following advice and support.
All women who started the residential treatment programme scored in the high risk category for gambling behaviours (score >8 on PGSI). Six months post-treatment, half of service users showed no gambling behaviours, and 13% were low risk.
The majority of the women entering the residential treatment programme presented with symptoms of depression. Six months post-treatment, over 50% of women reported no depression or general psychological distress.
Conclusions
This evaluation saw notable improvements. Post-treatment, PGSI scores decreased by 16.2, CORE-10 by 5.8, PHQ-9 by 9.4, and GAD-9 by 7.3.
Participating in this programme reduces the level of gambling severity and levels of anxiety and depression, and improves psychological wellbeing, in women suffering from gambling harm.
Full research paper
The full research paper can be accessed here.