Online Intervention to Promote Change and Help-Seeking in Young Adults With Gambling and Trading Problems

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.