The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

The WAGER Vol. 7(5) - Psychometric Properties of the SOGS In The General Population

A recent article by Randy Stinchfield (2002) notes that researchers frequently use the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS, Lesieur & Blume, 1987) to assess the prevalence of pathological gambling in the general population. However, the original psychometric properties of the SOGS were not developed for the general population but for four special groups (GA members, university students, psychiatric inpatients, and hospital employees). Only recently has a researcher, (Stinchfield (2002), reported an in-depth analysis of the psychometric properties of the SOGS in a general population, as well as a clinical population. This issue of The WAGER reports procedures and findings pertaining... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 7(4) - If You Do Not Gamble, Check This Box

How many cigarettes does it take to call yourself a smoker? How many drinks does it take to be considered a drinker? How many lottery tickets do you have to buy to be a gambler? Often times, people identify themselves with labels that differ from the way they behave (Tagliacozzo, 1979). This week’s WAGER discusses a study that investigated this interesting issue by identifying the gambling behaviors of people who reported that they did not gamble (Lange, 2001). Participants were 449 undergraduates recruited from a psychology lecture course. The mean age was 20.6. Two thirds of the sample was female... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 7(3) - Help Yourself

Treatment for pathological gambling often receives minimal insurance coverage. For example, a recent survey in Massachusetts revealed that about 39% of individuals who contacted Massachusetts Public Health funded treatment centers did not pay with insurance either because they did not have insurance or because they did not have adequate coverage for gambling treatment (Shaffer, Gallery, LaBrie, Scanlan, & Milisci, 2002). The need for inexpensive, yet effective treatment options, then, is high. In this issue, the WAGER reviews a recent study by Hodgins, Currie, and el-Guebaly (2001) that examined a minimally invasive and low-cost problem-gambling treatment strategy: self-help workbooks. The outline... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 7(2) - Treating Pathological Gambling: A Review of a UK 9-month Residential Treatment Program

Depending upon the severity of the disorder, a patient’s willingness to seek help, insurance regulations, and assorted other factors, clinicians usually channel individuals into one of three basic treatment alternatives: inpatient, outpatient, and inpatient/outpatient hybrid programs. This WAGER describes a treatment program that may well anchor one end of the treatment continuum: a UK problem gambling residential treatment program, described by Griffiths, Bellringer, Farrell-Roberts, & Freestone (2001), the Gordon House Association (GHA). Griffiths et al. (2001) reported on an all-male in-patient treatment program that could last for approximately nine months, depending upon patient progress. They described the initial assessment period,... Read more →

The Wager, Vol. 7(1) - Gambling Behavior among Youths in Texas Youth Commission Facilities

The prevalence rate for problem gambling among prison inmates exceeds that of the general population (Shaffer, Hall, & VanderBilt, 1999) as does the prevalence rate for youths (Shaffer & Hall, 1996). But what about youths who also are criminal offenders? Do these young people suffer doubly? The Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse recently surveyed the gambling experience of youths who have been sent to Texas Youth Commission (TYC) facilities (Wallisch & Kerber, 2001). This WAGER reviews participants’ self-reported gambling behavior in the year prior to incarceration to explore whether or not criminally offending youths might have a higher... Read more →