Waiting Time Increases Risk of Attrition in Gambling Disorder Treatment

Attrition is a well known problem in psychotherapeutic treatment. Patients with addiction have high attrition rates, and it is therefore important to identify factors that can improve completion rates in addiction. Here, we investigated the influence of waiting time as a predictor of treatment completion in gambling disorder. We compared 48 gambling disorder sufferers with a 56% completion rate (21 non-completers and 27 completers). Binomial logistic regression analysis showed that waiting time from initial contact to the first session with a therapist was a significant predictor of risk of attrition: longer waiting times were associated with increased risk of attrition. Age, gender, or comorbidity was not associated with an increased risk of attrition. These data suggest that gambling disorder sufferers benefit from fast access to treatment, and that longer waiting time increases the risk of attrition.