Pragmatic, Brief, Free, and Validated: Screening, Assessment, and Outcome Measures for Gambling Treatment

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

• Routine service delivery includes measures for gambling and affected other client outcomes. • Measures should reflect the expected target of gambling treatment. • Screening for gambling harm can aid treatment planning and referral. • Assessment of gambling symptoms should be sensitive to change over a short time period. • Brief, valid and free measures available for gambling clients but less so for affected others. Private and public gambling treatment services are available worldwide, yet there is limited guidance on selecting screening, assessment, and treatment outcome measures for practical use. The most effective treatments are cognitive behavioural therapies (CBT) and motivational interviewing (MI), often adapted to incorporate cultural and holistic approaches. Although multiple systematic reviews have proposed sets of measures, few are designed specifically for service delivery in community settings. This paper outlines pragmatic selection criteria for measures in these settings, recommending that they be validated, brief, free to use, and suitable for self-administration by gambling clients or their family members and friends (affected others). After reviewing existing guidelines and recommendations, the article provides an overview of measures appropriate for routine use and discusses delivery considerations such as timing, administration mode, and client engagement. It emphasises the importance of aligning measurement tools with treatment goals and adapting them for culturally diverse contexts. While outcome measurement for gambling clients is relatively well developed, process and outcome measures for affected others remain limited.