Title: Problem gambling and depression: a prevalence study.

Chief Investigators:
Professor Alun C Jackson, The University of Melbourne
Professor Shane A Thomas, Monash University

Aim: This work will provide important insights into the relationship between depression and problem gambling that have not been provided by previous national or international studies. It will provide data that will inform key issues in service delivery for problem gambling services and their links to the primary care service system.

As outlined above, at the end of this work, we hope to be in a position to contribute further to the beyondblue guidelines for treating depression in primary care and the AMA position statement of Health Effects of Problem Gambling. Should the posited link between depression and problem gambling be of the suspected nature and scope, then this will have important implication for these papers and current practices involving the treatment of problem gamblers in these service systems.

Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of depression in a population sample of problem gamblers and the association between depression and problem gambling behaviour.

Funded: $100,000

Status: Project duration one year, completed February 2008