What makes people with gambling disorder undergo treatment? Patient and professional perspectives

Abstract

Aims: The aim of the article is to identify factors which bring people with gambling disorder to undergo treatment. We are interested in exploring motives that trigger change; identifying factors determining choice of facility; recognising barriers and facilitators appearing during treatment. Design: Semi-structured interviews were conducted in Poland with people with gambling disorder, as well as with social workers, therapists, General Practitioners (GP) and psychiatrists. Purposive sampling was applied in selecting respondents. In total, 90 interviews were completed. Results: Internal and external motives that trigger change were identified. Among the internal motives were individuals' own reflections often combined with a sense of guilt, and among the external motives, pressure from significant others, financial problems, law problems and somatic and mental problems. The choice of facility was made by those suffering from gambling disorder or by close family members. Factors which influenced the choice of clinics were availability (distance to the facility, sessions schedule), quality of infrastructure, assured anonymity, opinions on provided assistance, the renown of such a facility, apparent experience in treatment of gambling disorder, and the context behind the problems experienced. Individual (related to emotions and convictions,) and structural barriers (related to the treatment offer, infrastructure, personnel, and

Reflections on Poverty, Homelessness and Problem Gambling: Discoveries from a World Cafe

“…Integration of services is especially important for those who lack financial security in order to minimize the need to travel to multiple service providers to meet the co-morbid health and social issues faced by people who are experiencing poverty and homelessness. As with previous research, we identified that long wait lists are deterrents to care (Wieczorek & Dąbrowska, 2018). From previous research, we know that recovery from problem gambling is enhanced when patients feel their own sense of empowerment (Pickering et al, 2019).…”

“…Notably, integration and coordination of services is integral to ensure that people have easy access to services. Staff training will ensure an appropriate level of awareness of problem gambling in populations who are experiencing disadvantage, the integration of tools into practice, training on screening for problem gambling, cultural influences on problem gambling and treatment seeking, and recognition and training on the importance of a gender/sex-responsive approach to care (Lewis et al, 2016;Priebe et al, 2012;Wieczorek & Dąbrowska, 2018). Integration of services is especially important for those who lack financial security in order to minimize the need to travel to multiple service providers to meet the co-morbid health and social issues faced by people who are experiencing poverty and homelessness.…”

“…Priebe et al (2012) spoke with 154 experts across 14 European countries from a variety of disciplines (physicians, allied health care providers, community service specialists, lawyers, and those with backgrounds in social science/policy). Using semi-structured interviews and case vignettes, the authors identified components of good practice in mental health services among socially marginalized groups, including outreach programs; integration, collaboration, and coordination of services to address the varied needs of these populations; and promotion of service awareness among potential service users and health care practitioners (also see Wieczorek & Dąbrowska, 2018). Aligned with these findings, Lewis, Black, and McMullen (2016) found that community service agencies are not equipped to address problem gambling.…”

Gambling and Gambling Problem Perception Questionnaire as a tool to evaluate professionals’ attitudes towards problem gamblers and training programmes in Japan

“…This might mean a worse perception of professionals towards gambling and problem gambling compared to in nations where the structure of the gambling industry is different. We believe further research using the GGPPQ in various regions with consideration for such characteristics will provide regionally comparable data which will shed light on professionals’ attitudes towards gambling and problem gamblers, how they are formed and how they can be improved ( Wieczorek & Dąbrowska, 2018 ).…”

“…improved through years of experience, but that providing training programmes as well as ongoing support during practice is important (el-Guebaly et al, 2000;Livingston et al, 2012;Manning et al, 2020;Rodda et al, 2018;Silins et al, 2007;van Boekel et al, 2013;Wieczorek & Dąbrowska, 2018). In Japan, complaints have been made by the government that many healthcare professionals enter clinical practice without sufficient training on problem gambling (Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare, 2021).…”