Ear acupressure and talk therapy show promise for gambling addiction
NCT ID NCT05241041
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether ear acupressure (using small pellets on the ear) combined with group counseling focused on positive psychology could reduce gambling severity and withdrawal symptoms. About 198 adults with gambling problems took part, along with 60 non-gamblers for comparison. The goal was to see if these treatments could lower gambling addiction scores, ease withdrawal, and improve mood over one year.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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198 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Sep 2021
- Finished
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Sep 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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19 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
\[For first-year\]: Inclusion Criteria: 1. gamblers who - are more than 19 years old \- had a total gambling period of more than six months * gambled within a month * wanted to quit gambling * had eight or more PGSI(Problem Gambling Severity Index) scores * had no ear infections * were not allergic to copper or aluminum * willing to complete questionnaires * agreed to extract blood 2. non-gamblers who * were over the age of 19 * willing to complete questionnaires * agreed to extract blood * got zero or received the lowest scores on alcoholism, smartphone addiction, game addiction, and gambling addiction tests * had never smoked * never been blacked out in their lives * had negative outcome in cotinine urine tests * had no medical or psychological diagnosis * no medication for therapeutic purposes Exclusion Criteria: 1. gamblers who - were pregnant - had experiences in taking drugs, including marijuana. 2. non-gamblers who * were pregnant * had taken painkillers in recent a week prior to blood testing * had experiences in taking drugs, including marijuana \[For second and third year\]: Inclusion Criteria: 1\. gamblers \- will be the same as those in the first year of the study. Exclusion Criteria: 1\. gamblers who * were undergoing gambling counseling * were on medication * had taken painkillers in the past a week * were pregnant * had experiences in taking drugs, including marijuana
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Inha University Hospital
Incheon, South Korea
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