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Browsing z by Author "Abbott, Malcolm"

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    Effectiveness of problem gambling interventions in a service setting: a protocol for a pragmatic randomised controlled clinical trial
    (BMJ Publishing Group, 2017-02-09) Abbott, Malcolm; Bellringer, M; Vandal, A C; Hodgins, D C; Battersby, Malcolm Wayne; Rodda, S N
    Introduction The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate the relative effectiveness of 2 of the best developed and most promising forms of therapy for problem gambling, namely face-to-face motivational interviewing (MI) combined with a self-instruction booklet (W) and follow-up telephone booster sessions (B; MI+W+B) and face-to-face cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT). Methods and analysis This project is a single-blind pragmatic randomised clinical trial of 2 interventions, with and without the addition of relapse-prevention text messages. Trial assessments take place pretreatment, at 3 and 12 months. A total of 300 participants will be recruited through a community treatment agency that provides services across New Zealand and randomised to up to 10 face-to-face sessions of CBT or 1 face-to-face session of MI+W+up to 5 B. Participants will also be randomised to 9 months of postcare text messaging. Eligibility criteria include a self-perception of having a current gambling problem and a willingness to participate in all components of the study (eg, read workbook). The statistical analysis will use an intent-to-treat approach. Primary outcome measures are days spent gambling and amount of money spent per day gambling in the prior month. Secondary outcome measures include problem gambling severity, gambling urges, gambling cognitions, mood, alcohol, drug use, tobacco, psychological distress, quality of life, health status and direct and indirect costs associated with treatment. Ethics and dissemination The research methods to be used in this study have been approved by the Ministry of Health, Health and Disability Ethics Committees (HDEC) 15/CEN/99. The investigators will provide annual reports to the HDEC and report any adverse events to this committee. Amendments will also be submitted to this committee. The results of this trial will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals and as a report to the funding body. Additionally, the results will be presented at national and international conferences.
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    The Privatisation of Government-Owned Enterprises in Australia: The Case of New South Wales
    (Flinders University, 2014) Abbott, Malcolm
    The purpose of this paper is to discuss the organisation of the state industrial undertakings carried out in Australia by the state government of New South Wales, and to analyse the reasons behind their privatisation in the 1920s and 1930s. The privatisation of government-owned enterprises has occurred in a number of countries in recent years (including Australia) and a number of alternative explanations have been given for this occurring. The privatisations of the New South Wales Government in the 1920s and 1930s were driven mainly by budgetary concerns and therefore look similar in character (if not in scale) to some of those undertaken in Australia during the 1990s and 2000s.
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    Problem gambling and family violence: Prevalence and patterns in treatment-seekers
    (Elsevier, 2014) Dowling, Nicki A; Jackson, Alun C; Suomi, Aino; Lavis, Tiffany; Thomas, Shane A; Patford, Janet; Harvey, Peter William; Battersby, Malcolm Wayne; Koziol-McLain, Jane; Abbott, Malcolm; Bellringer, Maria
    The primary aim of this study was to explore the prevalence and patterns of family violence in treatment-seeking problem gamblers. Secondary aims were to identify the prevalence of problem gambling in a family violence victimisation treatment sample and to explore the relationship between problem gambling and family violence in other treatment-seeking samples. Clients from 15 Australian treatment services were systematically screened for problem gambling using the Brief Bio-Social Gambling Screen and for family violence using single victimisation and perpetration items adapted from the Hurt-Insulted-Threatened-Screamed (HITS): gambling services (n = 463), family violence services (n = 95), alcohol and drug services (n = 47), mental health services (n = 51), and financial counselling services (n = 48). The prevalence of family violence in the gambling sample was 33.9% (11.0% victimisation only, 6.9% perpetration only, and 16.0% both victimisation and perpetration). Female gamblers were significantly more likely to report victimisation only (16.5% cf. 7.8%) and both victimisation and perpetration (21.2% cf. 13.0%) than male gamblers. There were no other demographic differences in family violence prevalence estimates. Gamblers most commonly endorsed their parents as both the perpetrators and victims of family violence, followed by current and former partners. The prevalence of problem gambling in the family violence sample was 2.2%. The alcohol and drug (84.0%) and mental health (61.6%) samples reported significantly higher rates of any family violence than the gambling sample, while the financial counselling sample (10.6%) reported significantly higher rates of problem gambling than the family violence sample. The findings of this study support substantial comorbidity between problem gambling and family violence, although this may be accounted for by a high comorbidity with alcohol and drug use problems and other psychiatric disorders. They highlight the need for routine screening, assessment and management of problem gambling and family violence in a range of services.
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    Problem Gambling and Intimate Partner Violence A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
    (SAGE Publications, 2014-12) Dowling, Nicki A; Suomi, Aino; Jackson, Alun C; Lavis, Tiffany; Patford, Janet; Cockman, Suzanne; Thomas, Shane A; Bellringer, Maria; Koziol-McLain, Jane; Battersby, Malcolm Wayne; Harvey, Peter William; Abbott, Malcolm
    This study provides a systematic review of the empirical evidence related to the association between problem gambling and intimate partner violence (IPV). We identified 14 available studies in the systematic search (six for IPV victimisation and ten for IPV perpetration). Although there were some equivocal findings, we found that most of the available research suggests that there is a significant relationship between problem gambling and being a victim of IPV. There was more consistent evidence that there is a significant relationship between problem gambling and perpetration of IPV. Meta-analyses revealed that over one-third of problem gamblers report being victims of physical IPV (38.1%) or perpetrators of physical IPV (36.5%) and that the prevalence of problem gambling in IPV perpetrators is 11.3%. Although the exact nature of the relationships between problem gambling and IPV is yet to be determined, the findings suggest that less than full employment and clinical anger problems are implicated in the relationship between problem gambling and IPV victimisation and that younger age, less than full employment, clinical anger problems, impulsivity, and alcohol and substance use are implicated in the relationship between problem gambling and IPV perpetration. The findings highlight the need for treatment services to undertake routine screening and assessment of problem gambling, IPV, alcohol and substance use problems, and mental health issues, and provide interventions designed to manage this cluster of comorbid conditions. Further research is also required to investigate the relationship between problem gambling and violence that extends into the family beyond intimate partners.