Problem recognition: integrating help-seeking theory in social marketing

Abstract

Purpose Online gaming is a global phenomenon that can lead to behavioural addiction and affect players’ mental and physical health. This paper aims to integrate the concepts of help-seeking and stages of change to investigate triggers for problem recognition for problematic online gaming that lead to help-seeking behaviour. Design/methodology/approach Critical Incident Technique method was used to collect a total of 78 critical incidents from a sample of 12 male online gamers who self-identified as having experienced problematic online gaming behaviour. Findings Six classifications of problem recognition triggers for young male problematic online gamers were identified: self-realisation, negative consequences, negative emotions, social influence, competing priorities and impact on social skills. Results indicate that both positive and negative triggers are important for problem recognition. Originality/value Valuable contributions were made to the social marketing literature by presenting an integrated model of help-seeking and stages of change theories, providing new insights into SOC and expanding the understanding of the processes involved in the transition between pre-contemplation and contemplation.

Examining the Effectiveness of Fear Appeals in Prompting Help-Seeking: The Case of At-Risk Gamblers

“…Theory advancement in the context of problem gambling is important because, just as with “common advertising,” people with social problems need to be aware of products and services that would benefit them (Calderwood & Wellington, ). Interest in the potentially harmful forms of consumption such as smoking, drinking, and gambling has begun to receive greater attention in recent years, especially among social marketing, public health, and public interest groups (Gainsbury, Aro, Ball, Christian, & Russell, ; Hendriks, van den Putte, & de Bruijn, ; Lewis et al., ; Sato, Drennan, & Lings, ). However, the use of emotionally stimulating message content designed to facilitate responsible gambling and/or prompt at‐risk gamblers to seek help has received limited academic attention (Harris, Parke, & Griffiths, ), despite the theoretical and empirical accounts highlighting the important role that emotion plays in the decision‐making process (Lerner, Li, Valdesolo, & Kassam, ).…”

Mixed emotions and credence service use: insights from at-risk gamblers

“…Consumer vulnerability is an important area of concern in social marketing and both TSR and social marketing literature share a vision about extending their fields of inquiry through instilling social change thinking combined with service marketing knowledge (Previte and Robertson, 2019). This research attempted to converge the pathway between TSR and social marketing by generating insights useful for social change programmes (Zainuddin et al , 2013) fostering help-seeking in vulnerable consumers (Sato et al , 2017) and promoting credence services use for at-risk gamblers via advertising appeals based on mixed emotions. The focus on mixed emotions as a promotional vehicle for credence services explored in this study extends the TSR literature beyond hedonic or eudemonic emotions that are commonly discussed in health - care settings (Anderson et al, 2018), adding to the emerging services marketing literature on mixed emotions (Lunardo and Saintives, 2018).…”

“Set yourself free!” Exploring help-seeking motives in at-risk gamblers

“…Understanding the cognitive and affective psychological motives for at-risk gamblers can assist in the design of effective social marketing communication messages to motivate at-risk gamblers to engage with professional services for help (such as social workers, counsellors or gambling helplines). Hence, this research contributes to social marketing theory which is still in its infancy when it comes to promoting professional services to at-risk gamblers (Calderwood and Wellington, 2013;Sato et al, 2017). As help-seeking behaviours are associated with a lack of status, control and independence (Möller-Leimkühler, 2002) and often represent a source of threat to the self because they imply inadequacy and indebtedness (Ferguson, 2018;Thomson et al, 2013), it is crucial to promote messages of attainable positive changes that at-risk gamblers can achieve through professional help (De Vos et al, 2016).…”

“…Help-seeking is a concept originating from health services (Gottlieb, 1976) and is defined as an adaptive form of coping reliant on social relationships and interpersonal skills to seek help from informal sources like friends and family, and formal sources like professional services (Rickwood et al, 2005). However, there is little help-seeking research in the social marketing domain (Sato et al, 2017) and currently no research had examined the needs and experiences of at-risk gamblers in their help-seeking process (Thomas et al, 2015). This research seeks to explore these research gaps, contributing to help-seeking theory in the compulsive consumption context.…”

“…Moreover, the stigma associated with problem gambling and the allure of the messages and environments promoted by the gambling industry has minimised the effectiveness of current social marketing campaigns (Thomas et al, 2015). Recent social marketing literature highlights the need for research revealing intervention strategies that will encourage early help-seeking by at-risk gamblers (Sato et al, 2017). However, help-seeking is often perceived as complex and confusing, and consumers often do not know explicitly "how" to engage in these services (Morgan and Rao, 2006).…”