Gambling Disorder Screening Day: A Ten-year Retrospective

Session Title

Session 1-4-C: Lightning Talks

Presenters

Heather GrayFollow

Presentation Type

Lightning Talk

Location

Park MGM, Las Vegas, NV

Start Date

23-5-2023 3:45 PM

End Date

23-5-2023 5:15 PM

Disciplines

Clinical Psychology

Abstract

Population-based screening initiatives for substance use and mental health disorders have several benefits, including the identification of previously undetected cases, feasibility in a range of clinical and non-clinical settings, widespread health education, and—in some cases—serving as a catalyst for healthy behavior change. Nearly ten years ago, in response to anticipated gambling expansion, the Division on Addiction at Cambridge Health Alliance and its close partners launched a new initiative called Gambling Disorder Screening Day (GDSD). GDSD falls on the second Tuesday of March, timed to coincide with National Problem Gambling Month. We have engaged with clinical partners around the United States and beyond to screen clients using the 3-item Brief Biosocial Gambling Screen, and we have engaged with non-clinical partners to promote this initiative broadly. This lightning talk will first review the rationale for GDSD. Then, it will summarize GDSD’s ten-year expansion within the framework of the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Implementation, Adoption, and Maintenance) model. Finally, we will preview next steps and solicit ideas from the audience for continually improving and expanding GDSD in the future.

Gambling disorder creates financial, social, and emotional hardship. Though it is a treatable condition, it often goes undetected and, therefore, untreated. Screening provides an opportunity to detect cases and offer referrals and resources. Gambling Disorder Screening Day was designed to accomplish these goals in anticipation of regional/national gambling expansion.

Keywords

Gambling Disorder, screening, clinical, public health, evaluation

Author Bios

Heather Gray, PhD, is Director of Academic Affairs at the Division on Addiction, Cambridge Health Alliance, and Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Her research spans behavioral and substance-based addiction. She has studied the reach, impact, and effectiveness of responsible gambling efforts. Additionally, she coordinates many of the Division on Addiction’s public outreach and education efforts, including the Brief Addiction Science Information Source (basisonline.org).

Funding Sources

There is no specific funding source for this work. Division on Addiction funders are listed here: https://www.divisiononaddiction.org/funding-statement/

Competing Interests

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Division on Addiction funders are listed here: https://www.divisiononaddiction.org/funding-statement/

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May 23rd, 3:45 PM May 23rd, 5:15 PM

Gambling Disorder Screening Day: A Ten-year Retrospective

Park MGM, Las Vegas, NV

Population-based screening initiatives for substance use and mental health disorders have several benefits, including the identification of previously undetected cases, feasibility in a range of clinical and non-clinical settings, widespread health education, and—in some cases—serving as a catalyst for healthy behavior change. Nearly ten years ago, in response to anticipated gambling expansion, the Division on Addiction at Cambridge Health Alliance and its close partners launched a new initiative called Gambling Disorder Screening Day (GDSD). GDSD falls on the second Tuesday of March, timed to coincide with National Problem Gambling Month. We have engaged with clinical partners around the United States and beyond to screen clients using the 3-item Brief Biosocial Gambling Screen, and we have engaged with non-clinical partners to promote this initiative broadly. This lightning talk will first review the rationale for GDSD. Then, it will summarize GDSD’s ten-year expansion within the framework of the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Implementation, Adoption, and Maintenance) model. Finally, we will preview next steps and solicit ideas from the audience for continually improving and expanding GDSD in the future.

Gambling disorder creates financial, social, and emotional hardship. Though it is a treatable condition, it often goes undetected and, therefore, untreated. Screening provides an opportunity to detect cases and offer referrals and resources. Gambling Disorder Screening Day was designed to accomplish these goals in anticipation of regional/national gambling expansion.