Examining the impact of e-mental health in problem gambling

This study aimed to describe the experiences of gamblers accessing e-mental health services provided by Gambling Help Online to determine their therapeutic outcomes. It is the first Australian study to describe the characteristics of gamblers using chat and email counselling, community peer support forums, self-help modules, and website information, to limit or quit gambling.

Utilising responses from 277 Gambling Help Online gamblers, researchers assessed two low-intensity (chat and email counselling) and three self-directed (forums, website information, self-help modules) e-mental health services, and sought to describe the characteristics and experiences of their usage.

The study found that engagement with e-mental health resulted in significant reductions in gambling symptom severity, amount of money spent gambling, frequency of days gambled and also readiness to change.