Browsing by Author "Currie, Shawn R."

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    The Leisure, Lifestyle, & Lifecycle Project (LLLP): A Longitudinal Study of Gambling in Alberta. Final Report for the Alberta Gambling Research Institute
    (Alberta Gambling Research Institute, 2015-02) el-Guebaly, Nady; Casey, David M.; Currie, Shawn R.; Hodgins, David C.; Schopflocher, Don P.; Smith, Garry J.; Williams, Robert J.
    The Leisure, Lifestyle, and Lifecycle Project (LLLP) is a five-year prospective longitudinal study designed to collect data on the factors influencing change in gambling and problem gambling behavior over time. A sample of 1808 participants from four locations representing the diversity of the province of Alberta (Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge area, and Grand Prairie area) were recruited primarily through random digit dialing. In order to assess the development of gambling problems over the lifespan, five critical age ranges were targeted: 13-15, 18-20, 23-25, 43-45 and 63-65 year-olds. Individuals with relatively heavy involvement with gambling were over sampled. A broad array of psychosocial variables was assessed at baseline via telephone, face-to-face and computer self-completion interviews. The sample was weighted to match the population of Alberta according to age, gender, geographic location and the over sampling procedure. The three follow-up interviews of the cohort were completed by paper- or Internet-based surveys. Retention in the fourth and final assessment was 76.2% for the adult cohorts, 71.8% for the adolescent cohort, and 75.1% for the combined cohort. Three primary questions directed this project: 1. What are the normal patterns of continuity and discontinuity in gambling and problem gambling behaviour? 2. What biopsychosocial variables and behaviour patterns are most predictive of current and future problem gambling? 3. What etiological model of problem gambling is best supported by the longitudinal findings? This report provides analyses of the adult sample and focuses primarily on the first two of the primary research questions above - specifically, on identifying variables that are robust predictors of future problem gambling onset, the stability of gambling problems over time, and the development of a multivariate model that illustrates the interaction of gambling behaviour and problem gambling over time. A tentative etiological model is also presented to address the last research question. The LLLP sample problem gambler prevalence at wave 1 was 4.7% (weighted prevalence 3.2%). A similar longitudinal study was conducted during the same time period in Ontario, namely the Quinte Longitudinal Study. A set of parallel analyses was conducted on the QLS dataset to identify findings that were robustly supported in both studies. The collective findings of the 8 LLLP and QLS studies represent the most comprehensive longitudinal analysis of gambling and problem gambling currently in the literature.
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    The Technical Hypothesis of Motivational Interviewing: An Examination of Change Language in Traditional and Computer-based MI for Disordered Gamblers
    (2019-04-12) Swan, Jennifer L.; Hodgins, David Carson; McGrath, Daniel S.; Currie, Shawn R.; Mudry, Tanya E.; Goldstein, Abby L.
    Background: Motivational interviewing (MI) has shown promise as a brief treatment for disordered gamblers. The technical hypothesis of MI purports that MI-consistent therapist behaviours result in greater change language on the part of the client, which in turn leads to a more favourable outcome. The present research builds on existing literature examining client change language as the mechanism by which MI promotes behaviour change among disordered gamblers in telephone MIs (Study 1), a web-based MI program (Study 2), and in a controlled, computerized task (Study 3). Method: Transcription and coding of 50 brief MIs with disordered gamblers and path analyses was used to examine the links between therapist and client behaviours and outcome (Study 1). Multiple regression was used to examine 45 transcripts from the web-based program (Study 2). Linear mixed models were used to examine the effect of a brief, controlled, MI-consistent task on 335 participants’ self-reported importance and confidence of gambling-related behaviour change. Results: Results broadly supported previous findings that therapist MI-consistent behaviours were significantly associated with higher rates of both sustain and change language. Commitment language did not significantly predict outcome; however, the relationship between outcome and the proportion of change to sustain language approached significance. For the web-based program, only the negative relationship between participants’ sustain language and outcome approached significance. The controlled task in Study 3 did not significantly affect participant outcome; all conditions reported changes in importance, confidence, and gambling behaviour. Conclusions: Implications for treatment of disordered gambling, web-based treatments, and future research in MI are discussed.