Perceptions of Service Efficacy and Individual Differences in Help-seeking Strategies amongst South Australian Problem Gamblers

It is well documented that only a relatively small proportion of people with gambling problems seek professional help. One reason commonly advanced for this finding is that many people overcome their problems on their own. This occurs either as a result of 'natural recovery' (i.e., a gradual dissipation of the urge or opportunity gamble over time), or through self-help methods, whereby people make active attempts to reduce their gambling. This paper provides a summary of responses obtained from 77 problem gamblers concerning the strategies used to overcome gambling problems, their perceptions of the appropriateness of current treatment methods, and individual differences in self-efficacy and perceived social support. Gamblers favouring self-help methods scored significantly higher on self-efficacy than other gamblers, but did not differ in terms of perceived social support. The results indicated that few gamblers were able to identify clear self-help strategies to overcome problems, and gamblers favouring formal services expressed a clear preference for ongoing, structured and practical interventions. The implications of these observations for future service design and treatment evaluation are discussed.