The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

The WAGER, Vol. 19(7) - All In: Life stresses among Concerned Significant Others

Gambling Disorder creates havoc for people who gamble. It might also create havoc for Concerned Significant Others (CSOs) — gamblers’ parents, spouses, children, friends, and colleagues (Shaw, Forbush, Schlinder, Rosenman, & Black, 2007). Studies on the impact that gambling-related problems have on personal and social relationships for CSOs are scarce. This week’s WAGER reviews a study that examined the health, social support, and financial situations of CSOs (Svensson, Romild, & Shepherdson, 2013). Methods The authors analyzed data from Swedish Longitudinal Gambling Study, a population study on gambling and health that collected data from participants through computer-based telephone interviews at 2... Read more →

Establishing Confidence About Data and Results: A Comment on Sample Size and Response Rates

Note: This editorial was written by Howard J. Shaffer, PhD, CAS, Editor-in-Chief for The BASIS. For many years, I have had the privilege of being a gatekeeper of science. This responsibility is stimulating, challenging, and demanding. During my tenure as a journal editor, reviewer, and editorial board member, I repeatedly observed and evaluated three important features of social science research: sample size, response rate, and retention rate. These study characteristics have established or diminished the value of many research projects. The hopes of many scientists have been dashed by poor samples and low response or retention rates. Gatekeepers of science... Read more →

STASH, Vol. 10(7) - Trends in nonmedical use of prescription drugs among college students

College environments are always undergoing change. Universities renovate old facilities or build new ones. Administrators may release previous years’ instructors or hire new instructors. Faculty tries out new curricula and courses. Each specific change in a college environment might be associated with other broader changes. For example, student substance use – in both the choice of drugs and the reasons for use – could change as older students leave and younger students enroll. This week, the STASH reviews a cross-sectional study that examines changes in non-medical use of prescription drugs among college students (McCabe et al., 2014). Methods During the... Read more →

ASHES, Vol. 10(6) - One Last Cigarette: Tobacco use disorder is associated with greater risk of suicide mortality

Past studies have reported contradictory results regarding the association between tobacco use and risk of suicide (Hemmingsson & Kriebel, 2003; Li, Yang, Ge et al., 2012; Miller, Hemenway, & Rimm, 2000). However, small sample sizes due to the rarity of suicide, and possible unaccounted confounders such as psychiatric illness have limited many of these studies. This week’s ASHES reviews at a study that examines this association within a very large Veterans Health Administration (VHA) sample (Bohnert, Ilgen, McCarthy et al., 2014). Methods Researchers identified patients who used VHA services in financial year (FY) 2005 and were alive in the following... Read more →

Caesars and Responsible Gaming’s “Third Rail”

Editor's Note: Researchers, policy makers, gambling operators, and consumers can all play a part in promoting responsible gambling. Today's Op-Ed/Editorial illustrates how a gambling operator has teamed up with academic researchers to limit harm associated with excessive gambling. Dean Hestermann and Jennifer Shatley from Caesars Entertainment Corporation, Carl Braunlich from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Jim Whelan from the University of Memphis describe their efforts to develop interventions with at-risk gamblers on the casino floor. In the Spring of 2001, Phil Satre, Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. Chairman and CEO (now called Caesars Entertainment Corporation), visited properties to roll out... Read more →

The DRAM, Vol. 10(6) - When is a disorder a disorder? Reconceptualizing alcohol use disorder

The APA’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM: American Psychiatric Association, 2000) uses a count of criteria within a certain domain to define alcohol use disorder (i.e., endorsing one of four criteria for DSM-IV alcohol abuse or three of nine criteria for DSM-IV alcohol dependence, or two of eleven criteria for DSM-5 alcohol use disorder). Studies suggest that this approach to diagnosis tends to overestimate alcohol use disorders in the general population (Regier et al., 1998). This week the DRAM reviews a study that applied a theoretically-derived definition of alcohol use disorder to existing data to improve the conceptual clarity and... Read more →