Searching For Pioneers In The Field Of Gambling Disorders Research!

Nominations for the NCRG Scientific Achievement Award are Due Aug. 1

Do you know of a researcher, educator or a recent publication that has advanced the field of gambling disorder research? The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) annually recognizes outstanding contributions to the field of gambling studies with theNCRG Scientific Achievement Award. This year’s award will be presented during theNCRG Conference on Gambling and Addictionin Las Vegas, Sept. 22-24, 2013.

Dr. Randy Stinchfield receives the 2012 Scientific Achievement Award

Nominations for the NCRG Scientific Achievement Award may include:

  • Research investigatorsat any stage in their careerwhose research has made significant contributions to the knowledge base about gambling disorders.
  • Educators who have successfully mentored young investigators in the field or have excelled at promoting public awareness and education about gambling disorders and responsible gaming.
  • A recent publication in a scientific, peer-reviewed journal that represents seminal work in the field.

Guidelines for Submitting a Nomination

The nomination package must include the following:

  1. Letter of recommendation:A detailed letter of recommendation describing the worthiness of the nominee, specifying his or her contribution to the field of gambling studies, or the significance of the publication nominated.
  2. Curriculum vitae (CV):For individual nominees, include an up-to-date CV. For research investigators, include a comprehensive bibliography of the nominee’s publications.
  3. Publications:For research investigators, submit no more than five scientific publications representative of the nominee’s work. In the case of a nomination of a publication, include a copy of the published version of the article. The publication must have been published in the same year as or the year prior to the nomination.

Nominations must be submitted in in PDF format to Christine Reilly (creilly@ncrg.org), senior research director of the NCRG by August 1, 2013. The selection committee, composed of distinguished scientists in the addictions field, will select one recipient for the 2013 Scientific Achievement Award.

For more information and a list of past award recipients, please visit the NCRG’s Scientific Achievement Awardwebsite.

Do you have questions or comments about the NCRG Scientific Achievement Awards or the 13th annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction? Please let us know in the comments below!

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Submit Your Poster By August 1 For The 2013 NCRG Conference Poster Session

2012 NCRG Outstanding Poster Award Winner Dr. Gerhard Meyer

The deadline to submit a poster for this year’sNCRG Conference on Gambling and Addictionis fast approaching, and submissions have begun arriving from around the world! There are only 30 days left before the August 1 deadline. In addition to the outstanding poster award, we also will recognize high quality posters with honorable mention awards as directed by the scientists on the poster review committee.

If you have new empirical research on gambling disorders that you want to share with colleagues we encourage you to submit a poster abstract for the session on Sept. 22, 2013.

Subject Matter

Posters can focus on any aspect of gambling disorders and must report on empirical research. Abstracts will be reviewed for scientific merit. An award for the outstanding poster and honorable mentions will be presented at the conference.

Submission Guidelines

Abstracts are limited to 500 words and should be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word or other word processing software using a font size no smaller than 12 pt. font. Please include the following information:

  1. Title of presentation
  2. Name(s) and affiliation(s) of the author(s)
  3. Mailing address, telephone and email address of the first author
  4. Poster abstract (no more than 500 words). Please follow APA format for text and references. The abstract should address sample and methods, preliminary findings and implications for the field.
  5. By submitting a poster, at least one author must agree to attend the conference and to participate as the poster presenter. No individual can be first author on more than one abstract.

Abstracts will be accepted on a rolling basis until August 1, 2013. Send abstracts via email to Nathan Smith, program officer at the NCRG:nsmith@ncrg.org.

Questions? Email Nathan Smith or call 978-338-6610.

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NCRG On The Road: Meeting With Substance Abuse Researchers In Orlando, Fla.

NCRG Senior Research Director Christine Reilly

A part of the NCRG’s outreach strategy is to attend and exhibit at meetings that help increase the awareness of gambling disorders among other co-occurring disorders, such as substance use problems. NCRG Senior Research Director Christine Reilly is exhibiting at theResearch Society on Alcoholism’s annual meeting from June 22 to 26 and is visiting with many NCRG-funded researchers. Below is her take on the meeting so far.

The Research Society on Alcoholism is meeting in sunny Florida this week, and I’m here to connect with researchers and hear presentations by NCRG-funded investigators. The young field of gambling disorders often borrows interventions and treatment therapies from the more mature alcohol research area and, therefore, keeping up-to-date on brief interventions research is vital for the NCRG.

One example of this isClayton Neighbors, Ph.D.,a professor of psychology at the University of Houston who is currently working on anNCRG-funded online screening and brief intervention for college gambling, reported findings from a preliminary study that tested the use of expressive writing as an intervention for alcohol use among college students. Based on the research showing that keeping a diary has positive health effects, this project randomly assigned 201 students to three groups: one assigned to write a negative story about a drinking episode; a positive story about a drinking episode; and a story about the first day of college. (The two latter groups functioned as controls for the negative story group.) The objective was to see if writing about the negative alcohol experience resulted in intentions to drink less in the future.

Dr. Neighbors characterized the study as a promising start but with mixed results. The light drinkers who wrote about negative alcohol episodes indicated that they intended to imbibe less in the future. However, the heavier drinkers did not intend to adjust their future drinking. Future research on expressive writing as an intervention will be tweaked and expanded to cover behaviors as well as intention; measure shame and guilt; and perhaps provide multiple opportunities for writing.

We’ll be sure to ask Dr. Neighbors if such an intervention might be useful for college gambling. What do you think? Share your comments below.

NCRG's Christine Reilly connects with Dr. Matthew P. Martens at RSoA
NCRG's Christine Reilly connects with Dr. Mary Larimer at RSoA

NCRG staffIn the NewsChris ReillyDr. Clayton NeighborsDr. Mary LarimerDr. Matthew MartensResearch Society on Alcoholism

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NCRG On The Road: Amy’s Recap Of The NCRG’s May And June Travels

As you have read on Gambling Disorders 360˚, the NCRG’s staff and NCRG-funded researchers have been on the road in recent weeks learning from experts and forming new partnerships.

We traveled to San Francisco, Calif., for the American Psychological Association’s conference that largely focused on the changes to the fifth edition of theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5). A few days later, NCRG staff member Amy Kugler traveled to Las Vegas for the 15thInternational Conference on Gambling and Risk Taking, which was packed with interesting sessions from researchers from across the world. We rounded this all out with a trip to Boston, Mass., for the American College Health Association’s national conference, where we discussed upcoming plans forCollegeGambling.organd heard more aboutClayton Neighbors’s, Ph.D.,research about an online screen for college students that he has worked on at the University of Houston.

Take a minute to check out Amy’s video that recaps some of the things we learned and partnerships we were able to forge during our travels!

NCRG staffICRG NewsACHAAPADr. Clayton NeighborsICGRTNCRG on the RoadVideo

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Does Exposure To Gambling Lead To More Problems?

When a new opportunity to gamble – whether a casino, the lottery or other forms of gambling – comes into a community, assumptions swirl around about whether or not the rate of disordered gambling will increase. Does exposure to gambling opportunities pose a risk to our health and increase the rate of gambling problems in a community?

Conventional wisdom assumes that the expansion of lotteries, casinos, Internet gambling and other forms of gaming will result in an increased rate of gambling disorders. One advocate of the exposure model predicted in 1994 that “when gambling activities are legalized, economies will be plagued with 100% to 550% increases in the numbers of addicted gamblers (probably within one to five years, but almost certainly within fifteen years).”1

This prediction, however, has not been borne out by the research conducted over the past 35 years. National surveys of gambling problems in the U.S. conducted in 1977 and 2008 found the same rate of 1% –in spite of the massive expansion of legalized gambling in the U.S. during this period.2,3Prevalence rates have remained stable in other countries as well, including Switzerland which has experienced widespread openings of casinos over the past decade.4

Harvard Medical School researchers have proposed the theory of ‘adaptation’ to account for the stability of prevalence rates. They suggest that, ‘following initial increases in the number and types of adverse reactions to new and novel social opportunities (e.g., substance use, gambling), people will adapt gradually and become more resistant to those events, eventually leading to stable or lower prevalence rates.’5(p621)

In other words, when a new gambling opportunity comes to town, the prevalence rate of gambling disorders might initially increase slightly. Researchers surmise that it is the “novelty effect of a new form of gambling. But, over time, the “novelty” wears off and prevalence rates of gambling disorders fall back to the 1% level.

The Harvard researchers found evidence for the adaptation theory in a study of Nevada, the state in the U.S. most exposed to gambling in terms of both gambling opportunities and employment in gaming operations. The Volberg study6used two instruments to measure the prevalence of gambling disorders in Nevada: theSouth Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS)7and theNORC DSM-IV Screen for Gambling Problems (NODS).8The SOGS, known for reporting false positives, found a rate of gambling problems higher than the national average found by Kallick in 1979.2However, the NODS instrument reported rates that were half of those reported for the nation one year earlier when the same instrument was used, providing support for the adaptation model. Moreover, the Nevada study found that newer residents had higher rates of gambling problems than residents who had lived in the state for 10 or more years.6

A more recent test of the adaptation theory comes from Iowa. A survey conducted by Black et al. found that gambling participation had decreased since 1995, and the prevalence rate of gambling disorders had remained stable despite the continuing proliferation of casinos and other gambling opportunities.9The authors concluded that the results confirm the adaptation hypothesis.

Do these findings square with your experience? Share your comments below.

References

1. Kindt J. The economic impacts of legalized gambling activities.Drake Law Rev. 43:51–95.

2. Kallick M, Suits D, Dielman T, Hybels J.A Survey of American Gambling Attitudes and Behavior. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; 1979.

3. Kessler RC, Hwang I, LaBrie R, et al. DSM-IV pathological gambling in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication.Psychol Med. 2008;38(9):1351–60. doi:S0033291708002900 [pii] 10.1017/S0033291708002900.

4. Bondolfi G, Jermann F, Ferrero F, Zullino D, Osiek C. Prevalence of pathological gambling in Switzerland after the opening of casinos and the introduction of new preventive legislation.Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2008;117(3):236–239. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0447.2007.01149.x.

5. LaPlante DA, Shaffer HJ. Understanding the influence of gambling opportunities: Expanding exposure models to include adaptation.Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2007;77(4):616–623.

6. Volberg R.Gambling and Problem Gambling in Nevada. Northampton, MA: Gemini Research Ltd.; 2002.

7. Lesieur HR, Blume SB. The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS): A new instrument for the identification of pathological gamblers.Am J Psychiatry. 1987;144(9):1184–8. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Citation&list_uids=3631315.

8. Gerstein D, Murphy S, Toce M, et al.Gambling Impact and Behavior Study: Report to the National Gambling Impact Study Commission. Chicago: National Opinion Research Center; 1999.

9. Black DW, McCormick B, Losch ME, Shaw M, Lutz G, Allen J. Prevalence of problem gambling in Iowa: Revisiting Shaffer’s adaptation hypothesis.Ann Clin Psychiatry Off J Am Acad Clin Psychiatr. 2012;24(4):279–284.

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What Is A Gambling Disorder? New NCRG Video Explains The Facts

The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) is excited to share a new resource today!

To help answer the question:“What is a gambling disorder?”, the NCRG created a video that uses research-based facts to provide a better understanding of gambling disorders, whom and how many people they impact and how they are diagnosed and treated.

This is the first video of the NCRG’s newest educational initiative, which was developed to help the public better understand gambling disorders and responsible gaming. The NCRG video series supports the organization’s ongoing mission to advance public education about gambling disorders and responsible gaming. The organization will release additional videos throughout the year to address and explain other relevant topics.

In apress releaseannouncing the video, the NCRG’s Senior Research Director, Christine Reilly, said:

“There is a lot of information on gambling disorders and responsible gaming – some of it is difficult to understand and some of it is not based on scientific studies. This resource, as well as future NCRG videos, will explain the latest research on gambling disorders in a quick, easy-to-understand format that can be easily shared among those interested in learning more about this issue, as well as the impact that NCRG-funded research has made since 1996.”

The NCRG offered a sneak peak of the video during last month’s American Psychiatric Association annual meeting. There, NCRG researchers and staff members had a unique opportunity to educate more than 13,000 psychiatrists about gambling disorders and the changes for the disorder that are included in the fifth edition of theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).

We encourage you to share the video with your friends and colleagues. Here are three ways you can pass it along:

As always, we welcome your feedback in the comments section below.

NCRG staffICRG NewsNCRG ResourceResearch-basedVideoWhat is a Gambling Disorder

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NCRG On The Road: Next Stop – Las Vegas And Boston

This post was written by Amy Kugler, the NCRG’s communications and outreach manager. Make sure to follow all of the NCRG’s activities onTwitterandFacebook.

NCRG Communications and Outreach Manager Amy Kugler

Christine Reilly, Nathan Smith and I have been traveling quite a bit lately. As you’ve probably seen by our posts on Gambling Disorders 360, Facebook and Twitter, we had a wonderful time and learned a great amount of information at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual conference in San Francisco. We were happy to meet new people and forge new partnerships, and had a unique opportunity to educate more than 13,000 psychiatrists about gambling disorders and the changes with thefifth edition of theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM-5).

We’re hitting the road next week for two stellar conferences. If you’re attending either of these, we hope you’ll stop by our booth or say hello during a session!

From May 27 to 31, I’m traveling to Las Vegas to be a part of the15th International Conference on Gambling and Risk Taking, presented in partnership by UNLV’s International Gaming Institute and the Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming at the University of Nevada, Reno. The agenda is packed with some interesting sessions that examine research and experiences of those who study gambling from across the world. I’m looking forward to being a part of the Panel Of Centers, and our goal is to find ways to collaborate on new initiatives that help to increase the quality of research and education on gambling disorders and responsible gaming.

In addition to following the NCRG’s social media channels, you can followUNLV’s Twitter account @UNLVIGIfor the latest news from the conference.

After this conference, I’ll be flying to Boston to participate in theAmerican College Health Association’s annual conferencewith Christine and Nathan. Not only will the NCRG be at booth #236 sharing more aboutCollegeGambling.organd our plans for the future of that resource, but we will also have an NCRG-funded researcher presenting his latest research during a keynote session.Clayton Neighbors, Ph.D.,from the University of Houston, will be talking about the online screening and brief intervention that he developed and tested over the past two years. This will be the first screen of its kind, and once it is finished, it will be available onCollegeGambling.orgfor all students to use. This presentation will be on Sat., June 1 at 8 a.m. ET.

As always, we’ll bring you live updates on the NCRG’s Twitter and Facebook pages, and we’ll blog about our experiences here at Gambling Disorders 360. Additionally, we’ll launch a brand new resource for clinicians, researchers and public health professionals next week, so stay tuned!

NCRG staffICRG NewsACHAAPAgambling disordersNCRG on the RoadUNLV

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Nida Director Reports On New Substance Use Disorders Research At Apa

On Monday May 20, Nora Volkow, M.D., director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), reported on new research findings and treatment opportunities at an hour-long lecture for the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting. Because of the high rate of co-occurring addictive disorders among individuals with a gambling disorder, it is important to keep abreast of new developments in the field of substance use disorders.

Here are some highlights from Dr. Volkow’s presentation:

  • Historically, the research finding that the prefrontal cortex is implicated in addiction was very controversial at first. The prefrontal cortex is the region of the brain involved in functions such as executive function and decision-making.
  • The addicted brain shows disruptions in the prefrontal cortex resulting in an individual’s ability to ‘not have brakes’ in terms of dealing or stopping excessive substance use.
  • Psychotherapy can modify the prefrontal cortex by focusing on the development of greater self control.
  • Research has shown that dysfunction in the brain’s dopamine D2 receptors increase an individual’s risk for addiction. Animal studies also have demonstrated that gene therapy can correct that dysfunction.
  • Research on vaccines for substance use disorders seeks to enable the body to create antibodies that prevents the impact of the substance on the brain.

For more information about research on substance use disorders, visitwww.drugabuse.gov.

NCRG staffIn the NewsabusealcoholAPAdrugDSM-5gambling disordersresearch

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Apa Considers Potential Internet Gaming Disorder

Has the reclassification of gambling disorder as a addictive behavior in the the fifth edition of theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM-5) opened the floodgates to other non-substance based addictions? The American Psychiatric Association (APA) announced yesterday that Internet Gaming Disorder is identified in Section III of theDSM-5as a condition warranting more clinical research and experience before it might be considered for inclusion in the main book as a formal disorder.

Wilson Compton, M.D., of theDSM-5work group on Substance Use Disorders and the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that the DSM-5 group was persuaded to highlight Internet Gaming Disorder because of studies, mainly from researchers in Asian countries. This research showed that excessively playing social online games could indicate a robust phenomenon potentially deserving of a diagnostic category. The “gamers” play compulsively, to the exclusion of other interests, and their persistent and recurrent online activity results in clinically significant impairment or distress. Studies indicate that young males are most at risk for this problem. Keep in mind that the research cited for this phenomenon is focused on gaming, not Internet gambling although the proposed criteria parallel the symptoms for a gambling disorder.

The research base for Internet Gaming Disorder remains underdeveloped and, therefore, a number of limitations characterize this body of work. For example, studies measuring the prevalence of the condition used different measures and have wildly different results, from 6 to 64 percent. Many of the studies used a sample of convenience, meaning that the individuals who were surveyed were not representative of the entire population.

The recognition of this condition raises a number of questions:

– Could this condition be culture-bound and only specific to the Asian countries in which the bulk of the research has been conducted?

– Will the openness to behavioral addictions in addition to gambling disorder result in an eventual laundry list of different addictive behaviors focused on the target of the addiction rather than the underlying causes of addiction? The concept of addiction as syndrome, a concept proposed by Shaffer et al. (2004), provides an alternative framework that would preclude such a development.

– Will the label ‘Internet Gaming Disorder’ be misconstrued as gambling, especially with the expansion of Internet gambling?

What do you think of Internet Gaming Disorder? Share your comments below.

References

Shaffer, H.J., LaPlante, D.A., LaBrie, R.A., Kidman, R.C., Donato, A., & Stanton, M.V. (2004). Toward a syndrome model of addiction: Multiple expressions, common etiology.Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 12(6), 367-374.

NCRG staffIn the NewsAPAAsiagambling disordergaminginternationalresponsible gaming

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Clarification Of The Dsm-5 Revisions By The Substance Use Disorders Work Group

To coincide with the release of the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA)Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the APA developed a conference track consisting of more than 10 sessions to educate clinicians about the changes to the new diagnostic code. The first session, titled “Substance Use Disorders in DSM-5,” featured leaders of theDSM-5work group in charge of substance use and related conditions who presented an overview of theDSM-5changes and some of the controversies the committee faced when reviewing the new manual.

The biggest, and probably most controversial, change to theDSM-5substance abuse criteria is the merging of the two former diagnoses (substance “abuse” and the more severe “dependence”) and their separate scales into one category and scale that now includes three levels of severity: “mild,” moderate” and “severe”. This change prompted worries from the audience about whether insurance companies may be reluctant to fund treatments for a disorder that is “mild” by definition.

TheDSM-5work group answered these worries with assurances that some disorders already use the term “mild” without any ill effects to insurance coverage. They also offered a reminder that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) emphasizes funding prevention for health issues before they become a more serious disorder – a focus that will certainly include the treatment of “mild” disordered behavior. To help clinicians understand how the ACA will impact treatment and prevention services of gambling disorders, a representative from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will address this issue at the14thannual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction.

The second set of changes the DSM-5 committee discussed were directly related to gambling disorders. The changes included the change in nomenclature from “pathological gambling” to “gambling disorder”, the deletion of the “illegal acts” criterion from the diagnostic symptoms for the disorder, the reduction from 5 to 4 criteria to be diagnosed with the disorder, and the movement of the disorder from to the “Addictions and Related Disorders” category. We were pleased to see that the committee specifically referenced several studies funded by the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) over the past 17 years, including studies byJon Grant, J.D., M.D., M.P.Hlat The University of Chicago,Ron Kessler, Ph.D.at Harvard School of Public Health, andHoward Shaffer, Ph.D.at Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Med School.

All of theDSM-5 work groups will be leading more than 10 sessions throughout the APA annual meeting to educate clinicians about the impact of the manual’s revisions. Stay tuned toGambling Disorders 360°and the NCRG’sTwitterandFacebookpages for more details about the happenings here at the APA convention in San Francisco, Calif..

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