Świadczenie pomocy terapeutycznej dla patologicznych hazardzistów i ich rodzin w Polsce – wyniki badań ogólnopolskich

Abstract

The study aimed to diagnose the institutional and personal resources in support of pathological gamblers and their families in Poland and gather the information on the effective ways of supporting people addicted to gaming and their families. In the study, 101 units have declared the provision of assistance to gamblers and their relatives. 89 units have the individual therapy, and 68 – a group therapy for pathological gamblers. In addition, 86 centers offers counseling, 84 – educational activities, and 27 – preventive activities for pathological gamblers. Regarding the assistance for families of players, 64 units provide individual therapy, and 43 – groups for families. Moreover, 79 centers provide counseling services, 67 – educational activities, and 15 – preventive actions addressing families of pathological gamblers. Therapy for gamblers and their close ones is often based on treatment programs for people addicted to alcohol and co-addicted, but increasingly in the treatment of addiction to gambling, the cognitive-behavioral and motivational approach is also used, which corresponds to the global trends. In Poland, the most common pathological players are included with therapeutic groups for drug addicts, and their families benefit from programs for people co-addicted. A few institutions lead gamblers therapy in groups of gamblers alone. The therapists draw attention to the need of supporting families with pathological gambling, which include, among others, broadening assistance for legal and financial advice. Currently, only a single facility runs this kind of support.