Top

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction

Published in:

01-04-2022 | Original Article

Should I Stay or Should I Go? A Comparative Exploratory Analysis of Individuals Electing to Continue or Discontinue Self-Exclusion from Land-Based Gambling Venues

Authors: Dylan Pickering, Alex Blaszczynski

Published in: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction | Issue 2/2022

Abstract

There is a dearth of research on gamblers’ experiences toward the end of a self-exclusion period when significant decisions are required as to renew or discontinue agreements. An exploratory study was conducted to (1) understand user perspectives of processes involved at the termination of their self-exclusion agreement and (2) identify factors differentiating individuals renewing or discontinuing self-exclusion. Such information is important to ensure self-exclusion programs meet individual needs at this critical timepoint. Eighty-five participants (43.5% renewed) completed an online survey at least 6 months after completing a full period of an Australian land-based (clubs) gambling self-exclusion program. Results showed that participants found renewal or discontinuation processes straight-forward; however, they did not feel adequately supported at the time, and those discontinuing felt particularly uninformed. Participants recommended fast-easy renewal procedures and permanent exclusion for individuals remaining self-excluded, and a structured ‘safety plan’ for those returning to venues. No significant differences were observed between renewed and discontinued self-excluders on relevant demographic variables, gambling and help-seeking behaviours, problem gambling severity, gambling urges, self-efficacy, psychological distress and quality of life. Future studies should extend the scope of analyses to specific cognitions and socio-environmental factors that theoretically could influence decision-making at termination of self-exclusion.

Abbott, J., Francis, K., Dowling, N. A., & Coull, D. (2011). Motivators and barriers to joining a self-exclusion program. In NAGS 21st annual international conference. Crown Conference Centre: Melbourne.

Benjamini, Y., & Hochberg, Y. (1995). Controlling the false discovery rate: A practical and powerful approach to multiple testing. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series B: Methodological, 57(1), 289–300.

Berlim, M. T., Pavanello, D. P., Caldieraro, M. A. K., & Fleck, M. P. A. (2005). Reliability and validity of the WHOQOL BREF in a sample of Brazilian outpatients with major depression. Quality of Life Research, 14(2), 561–564. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-004-4694-y.CrossRefPubMed

Bhandari, A., & Wagner, T. (2006). Self-reported utilization of health care services: improving measurement and accuracy. Medical Care Research and Review, 63(2), 217–235. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077558705285298.CrossRefPubMed

Blaszczynski, A., Ladouceur, R., Goulet, A., & Savard, C. (2006). “How much do you spend gambling?” Ambiguities in questionnaire items assessing expenditure. International Gambling Studies, 6(2), 123–128. https://doi.org/10.1080/14459790600927738.CrossRef

Blaszczynski, A., Ladouceur, R., & Nower, L. (2007). Self-exclusion: a proposed gateway to treatment model. International Gambling Studies, 7(1), 59–71. https://doi.org/10.1080/14459790601157830.CrossRef

Brady, M., & Tolley, E. (2014). Aligning product development and user perspectives: social–behavioural dimensions of multipurpose prevention technologies. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 121, 70–78. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.12844.CrossRef

Casino Control Act 1982 (QLD) s.10.1.1.91 (Austl.).

Clarke, D., Abbott, M., DeSouza, R., & Bellringer, M. (2007). An overview of help seeking by problem gamblers and their families including barriers to and relevance of services. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 5(4), 292–306. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-007-9063-y.CrossRef

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.

Corrigan, P. W., Rüsch, N., Ben-Zeev, D., & Sher, T. (2014). The rational patient and beyond: implications for treatment adherence in people with psychiatric disabilities. Rehabilitation Psychology, 59(1), 85–98. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034935.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Croucher, J. S., Croucher, R. F., & Leslie, J. R. (2006). Report of the pilot study on the self-exclusion program conducted by GameChange (NSW).

De Bruin, D. E., Benschop, A., Braam, R., & Korf, D. J. (2006). Meerspelers: Meerjarige monitor en follow-uponderzoek naar amusementscentra en bezoekers [diversive gambling: multiple year monitor and follow-up survey into amusement arcades and visitors]. CVO/Bonger Instituut.

Dennis, M. L., Perl, H. I., Huebner, R. B., & McLellan, A. T. (2000). Twenty-five strategies for improving the design, implementation and analysis of health services research related to alcohol and other drug abuse treatment. Addiction, 95, S281–S308.CrossRefPubMed

Drawson, A. S., Tanner, J., Mushquash, C. J., Mushquash, A. R., & Mazmanian, D. (2017). The use of protective behavioural strategies in gambling: a systematic review. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 15(6), 1302–1319. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-017-9754-y.CrossRef

Ejova, A., & Ohtsuka, K. (2020). Erroneous gambling-related beliefs emerge from broader beliefs during problem solving: a critical review and classification scheme. Thinking and Reasoning, 26(2), 159–187. https://doi.org/10.1080/13546783.2019.1590233.CrossRef

Ferris, J. A., & Wynne, H. (2001a). The Canadian problem gambling index: final report. Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse.

Ferris, J. A., & Wynne, H. J. (2001b). The Canadian problem gambling index: user manual. Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse.

Gainsbury, S. (2014). Review of self-exclusion from gambling venues as an intervention for problem gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies, 30(2), 229–251. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-013-9362-0.CrossRefPubMed

Gainsbury, S., Jakob, L., & Aro, D. (2018). Understanding end-user perspectives to enhance perceived value uptake of harm-minimization tools: considering gambler’s views of a pre-commitment system. International Gambling Studies, 18(1), 22–38. https://doi.org/10.1080/14459795.2017.1370723.CrossRef

Gaming Machines Act 1991 (QLD) s.6.10.1.261 (Austl.).

George, D., & Mallery, P. (2003). Using SPSS for Windows step by step: a simple guide and reference (4th ed.) Pearson Education.

Grant, J. E., Odlaug, B. L., & Mooney, M. E. (2012). Telescoping phenomenon in pathological gambling: association with gender and comorbidities. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 200(11), 996–998. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0b013e3182718a4d.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Håkansson, A., & Henzel, V. (2020). Who chooses to enroll in a new national gambling self-exclusion system? A general population survey in Sweden. Harm Reduction Journal, 17, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-020-00423-x.CrossRef

Hayer, T., Brosowski, T., & Meyer, G. (2020). Multi-venue exclusion program and early detection of problem gamblers: what works and what does not? International Gambling Studies, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/14459795.2020.1766096.

Hayer, T., & Meyer, G. (2011). Self-exclusion as a harm minimization strategy: evidence for the casino sector from selected European countries. Journal of Gambling Studies, 27(4), 685–700. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-010-9227-8.CrossRefPubMed

Henry, J. D., & Crawford, J. R. (2005). The short-form version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21): construct validity and normative data in a large non-clinical sample. The British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 44, 227–239. https://doi.org/10.1348/014466505X29657.CrossRefPubMed

Hertwig, R., & Grüne-Yanoff, T. (2017). Nudging and boosting: steering or empowering good decisions. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 12(6), 973–986. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691617702496.CrossRefPubMed

Hing, N., Russell, A., Tolchard, B., & Nuske, E. (2015). Are there distinctive outcomes from self-exclusion? An exploratory study comparing gamblers who have self-excluded, received counselling, or both. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 13(4), 481–496. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-015-9554-1.CrossRef

Hing, N., Tolchard, B., Nuske, E., Holdsworth, L., & Tiyce, M. (2014). A process evaluation of a self-exclusion program: a qualitative investigation from the perspective of excluders and non-excluders. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 12(4), 509–523. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-014-9482-5.CrossRef

IBM Corp. (2016). IBM SPSS Statistics (version 24) [Macintosh]. IBM Corp. https://www.ibm.com/analytics/spss-statistics-software

Jonsson, J. (2008). Responsible gaming and gambling problems among 3000 Swedish Internet poker players. In 7th European Conference on Gambling Studies and policy issues. Nova Gorica: Slovenia.

Kahneman, D. (2003). A perspective on judgment and choice: mapping bounded rationality. American Psychologist, 58(9), 697–720. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.58.9.697.CrossRefPubMed

Kotter, R., Kräplin, A., & Bühringer, G. (2018). Casino self- and forced excluders’ gambling behavior before and after exclusion. Journal of Gambling Studies, 34(2), 597–615. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-017-9732-0.CrossRefPubMed

Krägeloh, C. U., Kersten, P., Rex Billington, D., Hsu, P., Shepherd, D., Landon, J., & Feng, X. J. (2013). Validation of the WHOQOL-BREF quality of life questionnaire for general use in New Zealand: confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch analysis. Quality of Life Research, 22(6), 1451–1457. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-012-0265-9.CrossRefPubMed

Ladouceur, R., Jacques, C., Giroux, I., Ferland, F., & Leblond, J. (2000). Brief communications analysis of a casino’s self-exclusion program. Journal of Gambling Studies, 16(4), 453–460. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009488308348.CrossRefPubMed

Ladouceur, R., Shaffer, P., Blaszczynski, A., & Shaffer, H. J. (2017). Responsible gambling: a synthesis of the empirical evidence. Addiction Research & Theory, 25(3), 225–235. https://doi.org/10.1080/16066359.2016.1245294.CrossRef

Ladouceur, R., Sylvain, C., & Gosselin, P. (2007). Self-exclusion program: a longitudinal evaluation study. Journal of Gambling Studies, 23(1), 85–94. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-006-9032-6.CrossRefPubMed

Lenhard, W., & Lenhard, A. (2016). Calculation of effect sizes. Retrieved from https://www.psychometrica.de/effect_size.html. Dettelbach (Germany): Psychometrica. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.17823.92329.CrossRef

Lischer, S., & Schwarz, J. (2018). Self-exclusion and imposed exclusion as strategies for reducing harm: data from three Swiss casinos. Journal of Gambling Issues, 40, 2. https://doi.org/10.4309/jgi.2018.40.2.

Lovibond, P. F., & Lovibond, S. H. (1995). The structure of negative emotional states: comparison of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) with the Beck Depression and anxiety inventories. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 33(3), 335–343. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(94)00075-U.CrossRefPubMed

Ly, C. (2010). Investigating the use and effectiveness of the Tasmanian gambling (self) exclusion program. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/76347/DHHS_GSP_Self_Exclusion_study_2010_webprint_Final_B.pdf

Mcmillen, J., & Wenzel, M. (2006). Measuring problem gambling: assessment of three prevalence screens. International Gambling Studies, 6(2), 147–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/14459790600927845.CrossRef

Medin, D. L., Schwartz, H. C., Blok, S. V., & Birnbaum, L. A. (1999). The semantic side of decision making. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 6(4), 562–569. https://doi.org/10.3758/bf03212964.CrossRef

Morey, R. D., & Selker, R. (n.d.). JPower: power analysis for common research designs (version 0.1.2) [software]. https://www.jamovi.org/library.html

Motka, F., Grüne, B., Sleczka, P., Braun, B., Örnberg, J. C., & Kraus, L. (2018). Who uses self-exclusion to regulate problem gambling? A systematic literature review. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 7(4), 903–916. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.7.2018.96.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Nelson, S. E., Kleschinsky, J. H., LaBrie, R. A., Kaplan, S., & Shaffer, H. J. (2009). One decade of self-exclusion: Missouri casino self-excluders four to ten years after enrollment. Journal of Gambling Studies, 26(1), 129–144. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-009-9157-5.CrossRef

Nelson, S. E., Kleschinsky, J. H., LaPlante, D. A., & Shaffer, H. J. (2018). Evaluation of the Massachusetts voluntary self exclusion program: June 24, 2015 – November 30, 2017. In Division on Addiction (p. 215). Cambridge: Health Alliance, Harvard Medical Scehool https://massgaming.com/wp-content/uploads/VSEeval.pdf.

Nisbett, R. E., & De Camp Wilson, T. (1977). Telling more than we can know: verbal reports on mental processes. Psychological Review, 84(3), 231–259.CrossRef

Oei, T. P. S., & Gordon, L. M. (2008). Psychosocial factors related to gambling abstinence and relapse in members of gamblers anonymous. Journal of Gambling Studies, 24(1), 91–105. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-007-9071-7.CrossRefPubMed

Oei, T. P. S., Lin, J., & Raylu, N. (2007). Validation of the Chinese version of the gambling urges scale (GUS-C). International Gambling Studies, 7(1), 101–111. https://doi.org/10.1080/14459790601157970.CrossRef

Oliveira, A. (2007). A discussion of rational and psychological decision-making theories and models: the search for a cultural-ethical decision-making model. Electronic Journal of Business Ethics and Organization Studies, 12(2), 12–17.

O’Neil, M., Whetton, S., Dolman, B., Herbert, M., Giannopolous, V., O’Neil, D., & Wordley, J. (2003). Part A—evaluation of self-exclusion programs in Victoria, and part B—summary of self-exclusion programs in Australian states and territories. Melbourne: Gambling Research Panel.

Osman, A., Wong, J. L., Bagge, C. L., Freedenthal, S., Gutierrez, P. M., & Lozano, G. (2012). The depression anxiety stress scales—21 (DASS-21): further examination of dimensions, scale reliability, and correlates. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 68(12), 1322–1338. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.21908.CrossRefPubMed

Owen, P., & Marlatt, G. A. (2001). Should abstinence be the goal for alcohol treatment? The American Journal on Addictions, 10(4), 289–295. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1521-0391.2001.tb00518.x.CrossRefPubMed

Parke, J., & Rigbye, J. (2014). Self-exclusion as a gambling harm minimization measure in Great Britain: an overview of the academic evidence and perspectives from industry and treatment professionals.https://about.gambleaware.org/media/1176/rgt-self-exclusion-report-parke-rigbye-july-2014-final-edition.pdf

Pickering, D., Blaszczynski, A., & Gainsbury, S. M. (2018). Multi-venue self-exclusion for gambling disorders: a retrospective process investigation. Journal of Gambling Issues, 38, 127–151. https://doi.org/10.4309/jgi.v0i38.3998.CrossRef

Pickering, D., Nong, Z., Gainsbury, S. M., & Blaszczynski, A. (2019). Consumer perspectives of a multi-venue gambling self-exclusion program: a qualitative process analysis. Journal of Gambling Issues, 41. https://doi.org/10.4309/jgi.2019.41.2.

Pickering, D., Blaszczynski, A., & Gainsbury, S. M. (2020). Development and psychometric evaluation of the Recovery Index for Gambling Disorder (RIGD). Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.

Rash, C. J., Weinstock, J., & Van Patten, R. (2016). A review of gambling disorder and substance use disorders. Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation, 7, 3–13. https://doi.org/10.2147/SAR.S83460.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Ratnam, A., Das, R. C., Madhusudan, T., Sharma, P., & Panda, S. P. (2019). Absolute abstinence as a treatment outcome in servicemen with alcohol dependence: a retrospective cohort study. Substance Use & Misuse, 54(14), 2304–2316. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2019.1646284.CrossRef

Raue, M., Lermer, E., & Streicher, B. (2018). Psychological perspectives on risk and risk analysis: theory, models, and applications. Berlin: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92478-6.CrossRef

Raylu, N., & Oei, T. P. S. (2004). The gambling urge scale: development, confirmatory factor validation, and psychometric properties. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 18(2), 100–105. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-164X.18.2.100.

Responsible Gambling Council [RGC]. (2008). From enforcement to assistance: evolving best practices in self-exclusion. http://www.responsiblegambling.org/rg-news-research/rgc-centre/research-and-analysis/docs/default-source/research-reports/from-enforcement-to-assistance-evolving-best-practices-in-self-exclusion

Responsible Gambling Council [RGC]. (2016). Best practices for self-exclusion reinstatement and renewal.https://www.responsiblegambling.org/wp-content/uploads/insight-best-practices-for-self-exclusion-reinstatement-and-renewal.pdf

Robinson, M. D., & Clore, G. L. (2002). Belief and feeling: evidence for an accessibility model of emotional self-report. Psychological Bulletin, 128(6), 934–960. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.128.6.934.CrossRefPubMed

Romppel, M., Herrmann-Lingen, C., Wachter, R., Edelmann, F., Düngen, H.-D., Pieske, B., & Grande, G. (2013). A short form of the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE-6): development, psychometric properties and validity in an intercultural non-clinical sample and a sample of patients at risk for heart failure. Psycho-Social-Medicine, 10. https://doi.org/10.3205/psm000091.

Simon, H. A. (1990). Bounded rationality. In J. Eatwell, M. Milgate, & P. Newman (Eds.), Utility and probability. Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-20568-4_5.CrossRef

Skevington, S. M., Lotfy, M., O’Connell, K. A., & WHOQOL Group. (2004). The World Health Organization’s WHOQOL-BREF quality of life assessment: psychometric properties and results of the international field trial. A report from the WHOQOL group. Quality of Life Research, 13(2), 299–310.CrossRefPubMed

Slutske, W. S., Blaszczynski, A., & Martin, N. G. (2009). Sex differences in the rates of recovery, treatment-seeking, and natural recovery in pathological gambling: results from an Australian community-based twin survey. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 12(05), 425–432. https://doi.org/10.1375/twin.12.5.425.CrossRefPubMed

Smith, D. P., Pols, R. G., Battersby, M. W., & Harvey, P. W. (2013). The gambling urge scale: reliability and validity in a clinical population. Addiction Research & Theory, 21(2), 113–122. https://doi.org/10.3109/16066359.2012.696293.CrossRef

Thaler, R., & Sunstein, C. (2008). Nudge: improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness. London: Yale University Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10602-008-9056-2.CrossRef

The WHOQOL Group. (1996). WHOQOL-BREF: introduction, administration, scoring and generic version of the assessment. World Health Organization https://www.who.int/mental_health/media/en/76.pdf.

The WHOQOL Group. (1998). Development of the World Health Organization WHOQOL-BREF Quality of Life Assessment. Psychological Medicine, 28(3), 551–558 null.CrossRef

Toneatto, T., & Wang, J. J. (2009). Community treatment for problem gambling: Sex differences in outcome and process. Community Mental Health Journal, 45(6), 468–475. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-009-9244-1.CrossRefPubMed

Townshend, P. (2007). Self-exclusion in a public health environment: an effective treatment option in New Zealand. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 5(4), 390–395. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-007-9075-7.CrossRef

Tremblay, N., Boutin, C., & Ladouceur, R. (2008). Improved self-exclusion program: preliminary results. Journal of Gambling Studies, 24(4), 505–518. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-008-9110-z.CrossRefPubMed

Watts, R. (2019). Facial recognition as a force for good. Biometric Technology Today, 2019(3), 5–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0969-4765(19)30039-6.CrossRef

White, W. L., & Kelly, J. F. (2011). Introduction: The theory, science, and practice of recovery management. In J. F. Kelly & W. L. White (Eds.), Addiction recovery management: theory, research and practice (pp. 1–6). Totowa: Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-960-4_1.CrossRef

Williams, R. J., West, B. L., & Simpson, R. I. (2012). Prevention of problem gambling: a review of the evidence and identified best practices. https:// www.uleth.ca/dspace/bitstream/handle/10133/3121/2012-PREVENTION-OPGRC.pdf

Wood, R. T., & Williams, R. J. (2007). “How much you spend on gambling?”: The comparative validity of question wordings used to assess gambling expenditure. International Journal of Social Research Methodology: Theory and Practice, 10(1), 63–77. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645570701211209.CrossRef

Wynne, H. (2003). Introducing the Canadian Problem Gambling Index. Wynne Resources. http://classes.uleth.ca/201201/hlsc3700a/The%20Canadian%20Problem%20Gambling%20Index.pdf

Title: Should I Stay or Should I Go? A Comparative Exploratory Analysis of Individuals Electing to Continue or Discontinue Self-Exclusion from Land-Based Gambling Venues
Authors: Dylan Pickering
Alex Blaszczynski
Publication date: 01-04-2022
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction / Issue 2/2022
Print ISSN: 1557-1874
Electronic ISSN: 1557-1882
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00435-5

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Should I Stay or Should I Go? A Comparative Exploratory Analysis of Individuals Electing to Continue or Discontinue Self-Exclusion from Land-Based Gambling Venues

Abstract

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 2/2022

Psychometric Evidence of the 7-Item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire in Brazil

Screening Performance of the Korean Version of the Gambling Problem Severity Subscale of the Canadian Adolescent Gambling Index (CAGI GPSS)

COVID-19 Impact on Kazakhstan University Student Fear, Mental Health, and Substance Use

A Thematic Analysis of Sports Bettors’ Perceptions of Sports Betting Marketing Strategies in the UK

Exercise Addiction During the COVID-19 Pandemic: an International Study Confirming the Need for Considering Passion and Perfectionism

Barriers and Facilitators of Addiction Treatment: a Qualitative Study