Summary:
- The OHID study found that 1.6M people need specialist gambling treatment and support
- An estimated 40,000 adults might require the most intensive type of treatment
- The research identified six types of treatment for harmful gambling
Nearly 1.6 million adults in England could be in need of specialist treatment or support for harmful gambling.
This is one of the key findings of a new study aimed at producing estimates of the number of adult gamblers in the country who might benefit from treatment or support.
Key Findings
Conducted by the University of Sheffield and the University of Glasgow on behalf of the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), the study found that 970,000 of the 1.6 million adults who engage in harmful gambling in England might require “level 2 intensity” treatment wherein they will be subject to two or three sessions of motivational interviewing by gambling-specialist practitioners.
A further 243,000 adults may benefit from “Level 4 intensity” treatment, which involves 8 to 14 sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for gambling disorder delivered by psychologists, while an estimated 40,000 adults may need to undergo a 12-week residential treatment programme which is the most intensive type of treatment and involves one-to-one therapy and group sessions.
The study presented estimates of the number of adults by region who might require treatment or support. London tops the list with a rate of 3,835 per 100,000, while South East has the lowest rate at 3,223 per 100,000.
London also has the highest rate in terms of the number of children living with an adult gambler who could be in need of treatment or support. Overall, the study estimates that there are 912,805 children living in households in England with adults who might require specialist treatment or support.
Research Methodology
Researchers arrived at these estimates based on data gathered from September to December 2022. The study also took into account NHS England’s Health Survey for England for 2015, 2016, and 2018.
The figures were produced after “defining suitable treatment or support type categories” and using small area estimation techniques for nationally representative data. The research team also utilized the Delphi consensus survey method, collecting data from 22 individuals involved in commissioning and delivering treatment and support services for harmful gambling.
The research categorized the support and treatment available for harmful gambling into six types: brief advice, extended brief interventions, psychosocial interventions, psychologist-led CBT, intensive residential treatment, and peer support. The treatment types applicable to gamblers vary due to various factors, including their age group, sex, their problem gambling severity index (PGSI) score, the quintile of index of multiple deprivation, and the regional unemployment rate.
The study notes that the estimates only cover the support needs of people who gamble and do not extend to the support needs of other people affected by their gambling.
Gamblers can also gamstop which enables them self exclude themselves from gambling websites.
