BackgroundHarm from gambling is known to impact individuals, families, and communities; and these harms are not restricted to people with a gambling disorder. Currently, there is no robust and inclusive internationally agreed upon definition of gambling harm. In addition, the current landscape of gambling policy and research uses inadequate proxy measures of harm, such as problem gambling symptomology, that contribute to a limited understanding of gambling harms. These issues impede efforts to address gambling from a public health perspective.MethodsData regarding harms from gambling was gathered using four separate methodologies, a literature review, focus groups and interviews with professionals involved in the support and treatment of gambling problems, interviews with people who gamble and their affected others, and an analysis of public forum posts for people experiencing problems with gambling and their affected others. The experience of harm related to gambling was examined to generate a conceptual framework. The catalogue of harms experienced were organised as a taxonomy.ResultsThe current paper proposes a definition and conceptual framework of gambling related harm that captures the full breadth of harms that gambling can contribute to; as well as a taxonomy of harms to facilitate the development of more appropriate measures of harm.ConclusionsOur aim is to create a dialogue that will lead to a more coherent interpretation of gambling harm across treatment providers, policy makers and researchers.

Prevention of harms related to gambling requires investment in population based approaches, say Heather Wardle and colleagues

While the PGSI is indeed an established index of problem-gambling symptoms, it nevertheless does not quantify the degree of harm experienced by individuals at different points on the spectrum of gambling problems. The purpose of the present study was to establish the relationship between the PGSI category and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) decrements using a population health (PH) method. Harms reported by gamblers and affected others across the PGSI spectrums were transformed into 798 vignettes. A general population panel (N=786) and experts who work with gamblers (N=51) rated the impact of these vignette descriptions on quality of life using the Time Trade-Off task, and a Visual Analogue Scale incorporating 27 comparison conditions. Disability weights (DW) were then estimated for different levels of gambling symptoms. A DW of 0.44 was estimated for problem gamblers (PG), suggesting a reduction in the effective enjoyment of life by over 4 years for every 10 years in lifespan. Lower—but non-negligible—DWs of .14 and .29 were determined for low- and moderate-risk gamblers. Gambling is compared with a number of other conditions with respect to HRQoL impact. On average, PG harm appears to be similar to that of a manic episode of bipolar disorder and severe alcohol abuse disorder. We discuss advantages, and methodological challenges, in applying PH methods to measuring the severity of gambling problems in terms of HRQoL.Bien que l'indice du jeu excessif (PGSI) soit en effet un indice établi des symptômes liés aux problèmes de jeu, il ne quantifie pas le niveau de préjudice subi par les personnes situées à différents points sur le spectre des problèmes de jeu. Le but de l'étude a été d’établir la relation entre la catégorie PGSI et les écarts à la baisse en lien avec la qualité de vie liée à la santé (QVLS) en utilisant une méthode de santé de la population. Les torts signalés par les joueurs et les personnes touchées dans le spectre PGSI ont été transformés en 798 vignettes. Un groupe de population en général (N = 786) et des experts qui travaillent avec des joueurs compulsifs (N = 51) ont évalué l’incidence de ces descriptions de vignette sur la qualité de vie à l’aide de la tâche Time Trade-Off (marchandage de temps) et une échelle visuelle analogue intégrant 27 conditions de comparaison. Les poids d’incapacité (DW) ont ensuite été estimés pour différents niveaux de symptômes du jeu. Un DW de 0,44 a été estimé pour les joueurs compulsifs, ce qui laisse supposer une diminution de la jouissance réelle de la vie de plus de 4 ans pour chaque tranche de vie de 10 ans. Les DW inférieurs, mais non négligeables, de 0,14 et 0,29 ont été déterminés pour les joueurs à risque faible et modéré. Le jeu est comparé à un certain nombre d’autres conditions en ce qui concerne l’incidence de la qualité de vie liée à la santé (QVLS). En moyenne, le préjudice causé par un joueur compulsif s'apparente à celui d’un épisode maniaque de trouble bipolaire et d’un trouble sévère d’abus d’alcool. Nous discutons des avantages et des défis méthodologiques, en appliquant des méthodes de santé de la population pour mesurer la gravité des problèmes de jeu en termes de QVLS.

This article examines gambling harms from both gamblers and affected others' perspectives. Participants (3076 gamblers and 2129 affected others) completed a retrospective survey that elicited information on harms they experienced from gambling across their lifetime. Their responses were analyzed through testing measurement invariance, estimating item-response theoretic parameters, calculating percentages, confidence intervals, and correlations, as well as regressions. The results indicated large commonalities in the experience of harms reported by gamblers and affected others. Further, gamblers appeared to 'export' about half of the harms they experienced to those around them. The findings also provided detailed profiles of evolving harms as problem gambling severity varies.

BackgroundStrong and effective workforce models are essential for improving comprehensive Indigenous primary healthcare service (PHC) provision to Indigenous peoples in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the USA (CANZUS nations). This review systematically scoped the literature for studies that described or evaluated models and systems that support the sustainability, capacity or growth of the Indigenous PHC workforce to provide effective PHC provision.MethodsEleven databases, 10 websites and clearinghouses, and the reference lists of 5 review articles were searched for relevant studies from CANZUS nations published in English from 2000 to 2017. A process of thematic analysis was utilised to identify key conditions, strategies and outcomes of Indigenous PHC workforce development reported in the literature.ResultsOverall, 28 studies were found. Studies reported enabling conditions for workforce development as government funding and appropriate regulation, support and advocacy by professional organisations; community engagement; PHC leadership, supervision and support; and practitioner Indigeneity, motivation, power equality and wellbeing. Strategies focused on enhancing recruitment and retention; strengthening roles, capacity and teamwork; and improving supervision, mentoring and support. Only 12/28 studies were evaluations, and these studies were generally of weak quality. These studies reported impacts of improved workforce sustainability, workforce capacity, resourcing/growth and healthcare performance improvements.ConclusionsPHCs can strengthen their workforce models by bringing together healthcare providers to consider how these strategies and enabling conditions can be improved to meet the healthcare and health needs of the local community. Improvement is also needed in the quality of evidence relating to particular strategies to guide practice.