BackgroundResearch into the impact of problem gambling on close social networks is scarce with the majority of studies only including help-seeking populations. To date only one study has examined concerned significant others (CSOs) from an epidemiological perspective and it did not consider gender. The aim of this study is to examine the health, social support, and financial situations of CSOs in a Swedish representative sample and to examine gender differences.MethodsA population study was conducted in Sweden in 2008/09 (n = 15,000, response rate 63%). Respondents were defined as CSOs if they reported that someone close to them currently or previously had problems with gambling. The group of CSOs was further examined in a 1-year follow up (weighted response rate 74% from the 8,165 respondents in the original sample). Comparisons were also made between those defined as CSOs only at baseline (47.7%, n = 554) and those defined as CSOs at both time points.ResultsIn total, 18.2% of the population were considered CSOs, with no difference between women and men. Male and female CSOs experienced, to a large extent, similar problems including poor mental health, risky alcohol consumption, economic hardship, and arguments with those closest to them. Female CSOs reported less social support than other women and male CSOs had more legal problems and were more afraid of losing their jobs than other men. One year on, several problems remained even if some improvements were found. Both male and female CSOs reported more negative life events in the 1 year follow-up.ConclusionsAlthough some relationships are unknown, including between the CSOs and the individuals with gambling problems and the causal relationships between being a CSO and the range of associated problems, the results of this study indicate that gambling problems not only affect the gambling individual and their immediate close family but also the wider social network. A large proportion of the population can be defined as a CSO, half of whom are men. While male and female CSOs share many common problems, there are gender differences which need to be considered in prevention and treatment.

The teaching of qualitative and quantitative material simultaneously to structural engineering undergraduates has not been successful. An appropriate strategy for resolving this problem would appear to be the use of multimedia for presenting information and communicating to students. This approach allows for individual interaction for the students, interesting and informative manners for instruction, and a better opportunity for assessment.Many educators, however, feel that the current so-called "interactive" computer learning software for teaching material with "strong qualitative content" has not achieved true interactivity and adaptability. A necessary pedagogical ingredient for an effective learning environment is informative feedback. The inherent properties of qualitative material include abstract ideas and large variability, which are difficult to cater to with multimedia, particularly when providing the desired feedback.Endeavoring to overcome these problems, this paper proposes a different approach for educating engineers interactively with qualitative content. The approach employs a well-structured and guided environment, and encourages informative and continual feedback. These ideas are implemented through a developed module within the teaching context of Structural Behavior. This paper also presents the important design issues to consider for efficient production of this interactive a learning experience.