Australian guideline for treatment of problem gambling: an abridged outline
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he Problem Gambling Research and Treatment Centre (PGRTC) has developed the first evidence-based guideline to address problem gambling in Australia -Guideline for screening, assessment and treatment in problem gambling.
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The disordered gambling treatment outcome literature has generally ignored heterogeneity, excluded individuals with comorbid psychiatric disorders, or employed small samples that prevent detection of subgroup differences.
“The disordered gambling treatment outcome literature has generally ignored this heterogeneity, excluded individuals with comorbid psychiatric disorders, or employed small samples that prevent the detection of subgroup differences in treatment responses (Cowlishaw et al., 2012;Dowling, Merkouris, & Lorains, 2016;Thomas et al., 2011).”
From Predictors of outcomes of psychological treatments for disordered gambling: A systematic review (2016) · cites this paper as Thomas et al., 2011
The ‘Considerations for practice’ section says evidence for subgroups, including people with co-occurring psychiatric symptoms, was too limited to apply recommendations confidently to them. The treatment recommendations also say the antidepressant evidence does not extend to people with depression or anxiety. The paper does not establish that treatment studies generally ignored heterogeneity or that small samples prevented detection of differences in treatment response. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredRecent systematic reviews suggest that psychological interventions, namely cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and motivational interviewing (MI), can be efficacious in treating disordered gambling.
“Recent systematic reviews suggest that psychological interventions, namely cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and motivational interviewing (MI), can be efficacious in treating disordered gambling (Cowlishaw et al., 2012;Gooding & Tarrier, 2009;Thomas et al., 2011;Toneatto & Ladouceur, 2003;Yakovenko, Quigley, Hemmelgarn, Hodgins, & Ronksley, 2015).”
From Predictors of outcomes of psychological treatments for disordered gambling: A systematic review (2016) · cites this paper as Thomas et al., 2011
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Cites
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Dowling, N. A., Cowlishaw, S., Jackson, A. C., Merkouris, S., Francis, K. L., & Christensen, D. R. (2014) · Journal of Personality Disorders · doi:10.1521/pedi_2014_28_168 · Cited by 137 · see citing works
Self-citationPredictors of outcomes of psychological treatments for disordered gambling: A systematic review
Merkouris, S. S., Thomas, S. A., Browning, C. J., & Dowling, N. A. (2016) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2016.06.004 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
“The disordered gambling treatment outcome literature has generally ignored this heterogeneity, excluded individuals with comorbid psychiatric disorders, or employed small samples that prevent the detection of subgroup differences in treatment responses (Cowlishaw et al., 2012; Dowling, Merkouris, & Lorains, 2016; Thom…”
InfluentialSelf-citationTherapist-delivered and self-help interventions for gambling problems: A review of contents
Rodda, S. N., Merkouris, S., Abraham, C., Hodgins, D. C., Cowlishaw, S., & Dowling, N. A. (2018) · Journal of Behavioral Addictions · doi:10.1556/2006.7.2018.44 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
Self-citationDowling, N. A., Merkouris, S. S., & Lorains, F. K. (2016) · Addictive Behaviors · doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2016.02.012 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
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“We note the Australian NHMRC clinical guideline for problem gambling (79) and the NICE progress towards the development of a UK guideline for disordered gambling.”
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Hloch, K., Mladěnka, P., Doseděl, M., Adriani, W., & Zoratto, F. (2017) · Synapse · doi:10.1002/syn.21976 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
“Moreover, SSRIs may also be indicated, but only for patients with comorbidities such as depression and anxiety (Thomas et al., 2011).”
BackgroundHawker, C. O., Merkouris, S., Youssef, G. J., & Dowling, N. A. (2021) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/25786 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
“Consistent with the evidence base for gambling treatments, in which CBT techniques are considered best practice [7,41,61,62], the highest rated content involved CBT techniques, including psychoeducation (About My Urge); cognitive reappraisal (Get to Know Your Thoughts and Change Your Thoughts); and…”
Self-citationMechanisms of Action in the Relationship between Mindfulness and Problem Gambling Behaviour
de Lisle, S. M., Dowling, N. A., & Allen, J. S. (2014) · International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction · doi:10.1007/s11469-014-9475-4 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
“However, CBT is not effective for all problem gamblers and relapse rates can be relatively high (Cowlishaw et al., 2012; Thomas et al., 2011).”
BackgroundSelf-citationGamblingLess: A Randomised Trial Comparing Guided and Unguided Internet-Based Gambling Interventions
Dowling, N. A., Merkouris, S., Rodda, S. N., Smith, D., Aarsman, S. R., Lavis, T., Lubman, D. I., Austin, D., Cunningham, J. A., Battersby, M., et al. (2021) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm10112224 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Self-citationPharmacological interventions for the treatment of disordered and problem gambling
Dowling, N. A., Merkouris, S., Lubman, D. I., Thomas, S. A., Bowden‐Jones, H., & Cowlishaw, S. (2022) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd008936.pub2 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Application of an Etiological Model of Personality Disorders to Problem Gambling
Brown, M., Allen, J. S., & Dowling, N. A. (2014) · Journal of Gambling Studies · doi:10.1007/s10899-014-9504-z · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Self-citationPharmacological management of gambling disorder: A systematic review and network meta-analysis
Ioannidis, K., Giovane, C. D., Tzagarakis, C., Solly, J. E., Westwood, S. J., Parlatini, V., Bowden‐Jones, H., Grant, J. E., Cortese, S., & Chamberlain, S. R. (2024) · Comprehensive Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2024.152566 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
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Self-citationCognitive Behaviour Therapy for Problem Gamblers: A Clinical Outcomes Evaluation
Tolchard, B., & Battersby, M. (2013) · Behaviour Change · doi:10.1017/bec.2013.2 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
“Overall, the evidence supporting such approaches is limited and frequently do not consider that MI is commonly used in other therapies such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT; Thomas et al., 2011).”
BackgroundInfluentialRodda, S. N., Merkouris, S., Lavis, T., Smith, D., Lubman, D. I., Austin, D., Harvey, P. W., Battersby, M., & Dowling, N. A. (2019) · Internet Interventions · doi:10.1016/j.invent.2019.100264 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
“Cognitive-behavioural interventions have been consistently to be effective in the treatment of problem gambling in the short-term (Cowlishaw et al., 2012; Gooding and Tarrier, 2009; Thomas et al., 2011).”
BackgroundSelf-citationAn Examination of Clinician Responses to Problem Gambling in Community Mental Health Services
Manning, V., Dowling, N. A., Rodda, S. N., Cheetham, A., & Lubman, D. I. (2020) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm9072075 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
“At a minimum, PG training should discuss the relationship between mental health and gambling as well as guidelines and approaches related to assessment and management [45,47].”
BackgroundSelf-citationDowling, N. A., Merkouris, S., Youssef, G. J., Lubman, D. I., Bagot, K. L., Hawker, C. O., Portogallo, H. J., Thomas, A. C., & Rodda, S. N. (2022) · JMIR Research Protocols · doi:10.2196/38958 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Self-citationImproved Outcomes Following a Single Session Web-Based Intervention for Problem Gambling
Rodda, S. N., Lubman, D. I., Jackson, A. C., & Dowling, N. A. (2016) · Journal of Gambling Studies · doi:10.1007/s10899-016-9638-2 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
“However, outcomes involving practitioner contact appear better than a workbook alone (Hodgins, Currie, el-Guebaly, & Peden, 2004; Hodgins, Currie, Currie, & Fick, 2009; Thomas et al., 2011).”
InfluentialSelf-citationThe Development of a Competency Assessment Standard for General Practitioners in China
Rao, X., Lai, J., Wu, H., Li, Y., Xu, X., Browning, C. J., & Thomas, S. A. (2020) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2020.00023 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
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Self-citationImproving the user experience of a gambling support and education website using a chatbot
Merkouris, S., Loram, G., Abdelrazek, M., Rodda, S. N., Ibrahim, A. I., Bonti, A., & Dowling, N. A. (2022) · Universal Access in the Information Society · doi:10.1007/s10209-022-00932-5 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
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“…cognitive behaviour therapy, motivational interviewing, and third-wave approaches (e.g., mindfulness) to people experiencing problems with their gambling (Cowlishaw et al., 2012; Di Nicola et al., 2020; Maynard et al., 2018; Pfund et al., 2023; Thomas et al., 2011; Yakovenko et al., 2015).”
Self-citationRodda, S. N., Bagot, K. L., Merkouris, S., Youssef, G. J., Lubman, D. I., Thomas, A. C., & Dowling, N. A. (2022) · JMIR Research Protocols · doi:10.2196/38919 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
“There is evidence that problem gambling can be responsive to treatment, with the most efficacious interventions being cognitive behavioral therapy and, to a lesser extent, motivational interviewing [12,13].”
BackgroundSelf-citationTreatment of harmful gambling: a scoping review of United Kingdom-based intervention research
Seel, C. J., Jones, M., Christensen, D. R., May, R. J., Hoon, A. E., & Dymond, S. (2024) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-024-05843-8 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
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“6,44,45”
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“…the conceptualisations of problematic gambling have often been derived from the psychological and medical categorizations (e.g. Bernhard 2007; Ferentzy and Turner 2013), and the recommended treatment has been cognitive behavioural therapy or motivational interview (e.g. Thomas et al. 2011).”
BackgroundA Content Analysis of Problematic Gambling Prevention Interventions in the United States
Yang, Z., Deal, B. E., Carcioppolo, N., Zhao, Y., & Sewall, A. M. (2023) · Journal of Gambling Studies · doi:10.1007/s10899-023-10237-8 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
“…focuses on identifying efficacious treatment out - comes such as face-to-face psychological interventions and cognitive behavioral therapy, both of which have proven effective in reducing problematic gambling (Cowlishaw et al., 2012; Fong, 2005; Thomas et al., 2011; Toneatto & Ladoceur, 2003).”
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“Some international guidelines suggest pharmacological options (specifically, naltrexone), further to CBT, for treatment-resistant gambling disorder [6] or as an adjunct pharmacology to talking therapies or naltrexone as monotherapy [7].”
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“…and remote psychological interventions, particularly cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and motivational interviewing (MI), in reducing gambling behaviour, gambling severity, and psychological distress (Bodor et al., 2021; Cowlishaw et al., 2012; Thomas et al., 2011; Yakovenko et al., 2015).”
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“Drawing on these findings and the findings of Phases 1 and 2, draft recommendations were then formulated with clinical practice points, following methods for other evidence-based recommendations for psychological intervention (e.g., Golden et al. (2022); Thomas et al., 2011).”
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- Authors
- Thomas, S. A., Merkouris, S. S., Radermacher, H. L., Dowling, N. A., Misso, M. L., Anderson, C. J., & Jackson, A. C.
- Affiliations
- Monash University (AU)
- The University of Melbourne (AU)
- Jean Hailes (AU)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Medical Journal of Australia
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2011-12
- Volume
- 195
- Issue
- 11-12
- Pages
- 664-665
- ISSN
- 0025-729X (ISSN-L)
- 1326-5377
- OpenAlex
- W2040666463
- Cited by
- 51
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2025: 3 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 3 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 1.38
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- The Medical Journal of Australia (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Own your potential (DEAKIN) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Medical Research Council
- National Health and Medical Research Council
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Gambling Behavior and Treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders
- Keywords
- problem gambling, gambling treatment, screening, assessment, evidence-based practice
- MeSH terms
- Australia, Gambling, Humans, Prevalence, Practice Guidelines as Topic
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