People who struggle with their gambling may experience financial difficulties and poor mental health. Peli Poikki (PP) is an 8-week free remote intervention in Finland. The authors of this study wanted to better understand factors that contributed to the effectiveness of PP. They studied 2011 people who went through the PP program between 2007-2018. These people completed baseline and post-treatment questionnaires on gambling-related symptoms, sense of financial control, levels of depression, and alcohol use. They were also followed up at 6 and 12 months after treatment. The researchers found that alcohol use did not affect gambling problems following treatment. However, people with high levels of depression and a poor sense of financial control showed worsening gambling-related symptoms at 12-month post-treatment. Thus, the treatment was less effective in the long term for these participants.
