110 likes | 116 Views
Online Interventions for the Treatment of Problem Gambling. Dr. Sally Gainsbury Southern Cross University 8 th European Conference on Gambling Studies and Policy Issues Vienna 14-17 September, 2010. New Treatments Needed. The nature of gambling is changing
E N D
Online Interventions for the Treatment of Problem Gambling Dr. Sally Gainsbury Southern Cross University 8th European Conference on Gambling Studies and Policy Issues Vienna 14-17 September, 2010
New Treatments Needed The nature of gambling is changing The majority of problem gamblers (>90%) do not seek treatment Less intensive interventions may be effective
Internet Interventions for Problem Gambling Brief Self-guided Educational Practical Interactive Tailored feedback Peer-support Empirically-supported
Advantages of Internet Interventions Increasing comfort with Internet Accessibility Convenient Self-set pace Shared/stepped-care treatment Cost-effective Privacy Easily modifiable
Features of Internet Interventions Registration Screening and feedback
Tailored normative feedback Useful May reduce gambling among problem gamblers Wood & Williams (2009)
Features of Internet Interventions Registration Screening and feedback Tailored content Behavioural tools Interactive educational material Motivational component Peer-support
Issues for Implementation Ongoing evaluation Appropriate referrals Jurisdictional considerations Appropriate promotion Attrition
Conclusions Growing support for Internet interventions Well suited for problem gambling Adjunct to traditional treatment Ongoing research Cost-effective, successful intervention for a large proportion of individuals experiencing gambling-related problems
Acknowledgment The author would like to thank Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre (OPGRC) and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) for their support of this research
Thank you Dr. Sally Gainsbury Centre for Gambling Education & Research Southern Cross University Email: sally.gainsbury@scu.edu.au Gainsbury, S., & Blaszczynski, A. Online self-guided interventions for the treatment of problem gambling. Manuscript submitted for publication