Problem Gambling Research Program

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What is the Problem Gambling Research Program?

The Problem Gambling Research Program is a collaboration involving Professor Alun Jackson from the University of Melbourne and Professor Shane Thomas from La Trobe University and a range of colleagues from other research institutions.

The collaboration has had the following achievements:

· More than $2 million in funding support
· 14 separate research projects
· 4 completed theses
· 35 publications
· 22 conference presentations
· Expert evidence to Australian government inquiries and bodies

Publication and project list:

Jackson, A.C., Thomas, S.A., Thomason, N., Borrell, J., Crisp, B.R., Enderby, K., Fauzee, Y., Ho, W., Holt, T.A., Perez, E., & Smith, S. (2002) Longitudinal Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Problem Gambling Counselling Services, Community Education Strategies and Information Products - Volume 1: Service Design and Access, Melbourne: Victorian Department of Human Services. (ISBN 07311 6168 8)

Jackson, A.C., Thomas, S.A., Thomason, N., Borrell, J., Crisp, B.R., Ho, W., Holt, T.A., & Smith, S. (2002) Longitudinal Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Problem Gambling Counselling Services, Community Education Strategies and Information Products - Volume 2: Counselling Interventions, Melbourne: Victorian Department of Human Services. (ISBN 07311 6168 8)

Jackson, A.C., Thomas, S.A., Thomason, N., & Ho, W. (2002) Longitudinal Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Problem Gambling Counselling Services, Community Education Strategies and Information Products - Volume 3: Community Education Strategies and Information Products, Melbourne: Victorian Department of Human Services. (ISBN 07311 6170 X)

Jackson, AC, Thomas, S.A., Thomason, N., & Holt, TA, (2002) Longitudinal Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Problem Gambling Counselling Services, Community Education Strategies and Information Products - Volume 4: The Counsellor Task Analysis (Problem Gambling) Instrument - a Report on Development, Reliability and Application, Melbourne: Victorian Department of Human Services. (ISBN 07311 6171 8)

Thomas, S.A., Jackson, AC, Anderson, J., & Kearney, E. (2002) Longitudinal Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Problem Gambling Counselling Services, Community Education Strategies and Information Products - Volume 5: Natural Recovery From Problem Gambling, Melbourne: Victorian Department of Human Services. (ISBN 07311 6172 6)

Thomas, S.A. & Jackson, AC (2002) Longitudinal Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Problem Gambling Counselling Services, Community Education Strategies and Information Products - Volume 6: Project Discussion Paper, Melbourne: Victorian Department of Human Services. (ISBN 07311 6173 4)

Thomas, S.A. & Yamine, R. (2000) The Impact of Gaming on Specific Cultural Groups, Victorian Casino and Gaming Authority, 153pp, (ISBN 0 7311 1603 8)

Jackson, AC, Patton, G., Thomas, S.A., Wyn, J., Wright, J., Bond, L., Crisp, BR, & Ho, W. (2000) The Impacts of Gambling on Adolescents and Children, Melbourne: Victorian Department of Human Services. 92pp (ISBN 0 7311 6053 3)

Jackson, AC, Thomason, N., and Ryan, V., & Smith, S. (1996) 'Analysis of Clients Presenting to Problem Gambling Counselling Services from July 1 1995 to June 30 1996', Client and Services Analysis Report No.1, Melbourne: Victorian Department of Human Services.

Jackson, AC, Thomas, S.A., Thomason, N., Crisp, BR, Smith, S., Ho, W., & Borrell, J. (1997) 'Analysis of Clients Presenting to Problem Gambling Counselling Services from July 1 1996 to June 30 1997', Client and Services Analysis Report No.2, Melbourne: Victorian Department of Human Services.

Jackson, AC, Thomas, S.A., Thomason, N., Borrell, J., Crisp, BR, Ho, W., Smith, S., & Holt, TA (1999) 'Demographic Profile, Gambling Activity and Service Use of Clients Presenting to Break Even Problem Gambling Counselling Services', Client and Services Analysis Report No.3, Melbourne: Victorian Department of Human Services. (ISBN 0 7306 51142)

Jackson, AC, Thomas, S.A., Thomason, N., Borrell, J., Crisp, BR, Ho, W., Smith, S., & Holt, TA, (1999) 'Analysis of Clients Presenting to Problem Gambling Counselling Services, July 1997 to June 1998', Client and Services Analysis Report No.4, Melbourne: Victorian Department of Human Services, (ISBN 0 7306 51347)

Jackson, AC, Thomas, S.A., Thomason, N., Holt, TA, & McCormack, J. (2000) 'Analysis of Clients Presenting to Problem Gambling Counselling Services, July 1, 1998 to June 30, 1999', Client and Services Analysis Report No.5, Melbourne: Victorian Department of Human Services. 70pp (ISBN 0 7311 6052 5)

Jackson, AC, Thomas, S.A., Ross, L., Kearney, E. (2001) 'Analysis of Clients Presenting to Problem Gambling Counselling Services, July 1, 1999 to June 30, 2000', Client and Services Analysis Report No.6, Melbourne: Melbourne: Victorian Department of Human Services 68pp

Details of Current Projects

Best Practice Study

La Trobe University and Melbourne University have been funded by the Victorian Gambling Research Panel to provide advice about what interventions and services would best provide support for problem gamblers in the State of Victoria.

The study objectives included:

• Identifying services, interventions and system elements that lead to effective interventions for problem gamblers and their families.
• Selecting services that cater for a range of client groups involving different elements of gambling behaviour.

In conducting this research, we undertook a number of activities:

• A thorough analysis of the literature relating to research on treatment effectiveness with which to contextualise the problem gambling treatment literature.
• Consultations with researchers, service providers and consumer advocates.
• Analysis of the Problem Gambling Research Program's data bank on 48 gambling counsellors who completed two questionnaires devised by the Program – the Counsellor Task Analysis (Problem Gambling) Questionnaire, and the Clinical Practice Evaluation Counsellor Questionnaire).
• Individual interviews of gambling counsellors.
• A retrospective survey of clients of BreakEven/Gambler's Help who had a first contact with the service in the first quarter of 1998. These data are drawn on to provide detail on clients, as no provision was made in the present study, in terms of time, to negotiate ethics clearance with the Department of Human Services in order to conduct a new survey of clients.
• A survey of agencies providing problem gambling services.

Measuring Problem Gambling Study

La Trobe University and Melbourne University have been funded by the Victorian Gambling Research Panel to provide advice about how best to measure problem gambling behaviour.

The purposes of the project included:

• Evaluate the report by Flinders Technologies Pty Ltd detailing the VGS with regard to refining the instrument for application in a population validation study.
• Evaluate the VGS against other available instruments including SOGS, the Canadian Problem Gambling Index and other instruments and research in relevant international and Australian studies, and assess whether the VGS overcomes the perceived shortcomings of these instruments.
• Assess the extent to which there are unique features related to problem gambling in Australia and the extent to which these are/could be adequately catered for in the VGS or a modified form of the VGS
• Deliver a research design for a large scale (a) Victorian and (b) National validation survey that would have the dual purpose of validating the VGS and obtaining some useful information on characteristics of problem and potential problem gamblers; and to include in the research design details of appropriate survey questions, sampling, telephone survey and other techniques of data collection, as appropriate, to chosen sub-populations that will cross-validate the VGS with other instruments, and that will allow comparisons of a Victorian population study with other relevant, recent research in other States.

This study is complete and we are waiting approval to release the report.

Problem Gambling Service Standards Study

La Trobe University has been funded by the Victorian Department of Human Services to develop problem gambling service standards for problem gambling counselling services in the State of Victoria. The objectives of the project are:

• "To develop service standards for Gambler's Help services to ensure a consistently high standard of problem gambling services across all components of the statewide service system;
• To implement standards that ensure the continuous improvement of service delivery for the broad range of clients of problem gambling services; and
• To align the standards with the principles and directions of the Department's Quality in Service Flagship Project".

This study commenced in October 2002 and will be complete in June 2003.

Problem Gambling Research Program Outputs and Activities – September 2002

Some Research Links

www.problemgambling.vic.gov.au

www.grp.vic.gov.au

www.gambling.vcga.vic.gov.au

 

About Us

Professor Shane Thomas

Professor Shane Thomas is Director of Research and Professor in the Australian Institute for Primary Care. He is an international authority on health research and evaluation.

Shane can be contacted on Shane.Thomas@latrobe.edu.au

Professor Alun Jackson

Professor Alun Jackson is Professor of Social Work at the University of Melbourne. Professor Jackson has a strong international profile in gambling research as well as in the evaluation of health and human services.

Alun can be contacted on aluncj@unimelb.edu.au