Gambling Support Study: Understanding gambling harm experienced by female affected others

Despite policy makers, health professionals and researchers increasingly acknowledging the impact of gambling-related harm on families and in community settings, problematic gambling behaviour is still commonly understood and treated at an individual level (Productivity Commission 1999). A lack of investigation into, and acknowledgment of, affected others' experiences can perpetuate both limited treatment expertise and limited access to resources and support for this group. Consequently, affected others are often left feeling isolated and unsupported (Krishnan & Orford 2002, Hodgins et al. 2007). A growing body of literature reports on affected others. Studies have shown that partners of gamblers experience high levels of personal distress (Kourgiantakis et al. 2013), and are at increased risk of depression, anxiety and isolation (Wenzel et al. 2008). Such couples also have a higher risk of experiencing significant relationship challenges (conflict and divorce) (Dowling et al. 2006). Studies have also shown that women suffer disproportionately more harm (Salonen et al. 2016) and report higher emotional impacts (Dowling et al. 2014) than their male counterparts. A Swedish study found that women in such relationships experience more violence and take more sick days than the population at large (Salonen et al. 2016). A recent Australian study investigating the characteristics and help seeking of affected others recruited from Gambling Help Online reported that 89% of affected others using online services are female (most often the partner) and under 35 years old , and that more than half had found out about the gambling problem in the past 12 months (Rodda et al. 2017).This report was commisioned by AN

Exploring the prevalence of gambling harm among active duty military personnel: a systematic scoping review

The prevalence of gambling harm among active duty military personnel is a largely unexplored topic. With different forms of social gambling often found within (or in close proximity to) military bases around the world, understanding the extent of gambling activities and consequent harms occurring within military contexts warrants further attention. This review aims to identify, describe and thematically synthesise published literature on gambling harm and related issues among active duty military personnel. Scoping review methods were applied in order to understand this relatively under-researched population and understand appropriate avenues for future research. A systematic multi-database text word search, incorporating search results from Scopus, Pubmed, Web of Science, PsychInfo, and the Journal Military Medicine, was conducted. A total of 11 sources met inclusion criteria, all originating from the United States of America. The results suggest a distinct gap in the current international literature on this topic. Despite gambling's long and colourful association with defence downtime, research into gambling harm prevalence rates in relation to what could be considered a high-risk group is limited. Findings reveal that strategies to identify and address gambling harm within this population are severely lacking from the published literature and non-existent outside North America. Implications for understanding and addressing gambling harm among active duty personnel and directions for future research are discussed

An overview of digital and online strategies to reduce gambling harm

Advancements in mobile‐ and web‐based technologies proliferate everyday opportunities to gamble. The increased availability, popularity and intensity of online gambling platforms and interactive gaming activities also changes the way we construct gambling harm reduction interventions. Information and communication technologies (ICT) provide potential opportunities to reduce harm from online gambling through harm minimisation initiatives and currently available services. The aim of this review was to firstly understand the scope of peer‐reviewed evidence on ICT‐based strategies to reduce online gambling harm, and secondly, what evidence exists specifically in relation to ICT‐based harm reduction initiatives for people who gamble online

Evaluation of Electronic Mental Health Implementation in NorthernTerritory Services Using the Integrated �Promoting Action onResearch Implementation in Health Services� Framework:Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND Electronic mental health is a promising strategy to bridge the treatment gap in mental health care. Training workshops have been delivered to service providers working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at a primary health care level to raise awareness and knowledge of electronic mental health approaches. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to understand service providers' perspectives and experiences of electronic mental health adoption. More specifically, it aimed to use the integrated Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (i-PARIHS) framework to further identify and understand how different factors facilitate or impede electronic mental health uptake within primary health care settings providing services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. METHODS Qualitative interviews were conducted with 57 service providers working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who had undergone electronic mental health training workshops. RESULTS Several factors related to innovation (electronic mental health approach), recipients (service providers as an individual and as a team), and context (local, organizational, and external contexts) were found to influence electronic mental health uptake. Particularly, organizational readiness, in terms of information technology resources and infrastructure, policies, workforce and culture, and processes to mandate electronic mental health use, were found to be significant impediments to electronic mental health utilization. These findings led to the development of a three-phase implementation strategy that aims to enhance electronic mental health adoption by addressing organizational readiness before and post electronic mental health training. CONCLUSIONS The i-PARIHS provides a useful determinant framework that deepens our understanding of how different factors impede or facilitate electronic mental health adoption in this setting. This insight was used to develop a practical and comprehensive implementation strategy to enhance the utilization of electronic mental health approaches within primary health care settings, involving three phases: pretraining consultations, training workshops, and post-training follow-up support

THEORY OF SHELLS AND THEORY OF CURVILINEAR RODS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Background\ud \ud Globally, alcohol-related injuries cause millions of deaths and huge economic loss each year . The incidence of facial (jawbone) fractures in the Northern Territory of Australia is second only to Greenland, due to a strong involvement of alcohol in its aetiology, and high levels of alcohol consumption. The highest incidences of alcohol-related trauma in the Territory are observed amongst patients in the Maxillofacial Surgery Unit of the Royal Darwin Hospital. Accordingly, this project aims to introduce screening and brief interventions into this unit, with the aims of changing health service provider practice, improving access to care, and improving patient outcomes. \ud \ud Methods\ud \ud Establishment of Project Governance: \ud The project governance team includes a project manager, project leader, an Indigenous Reference Group (IRG) and an Expert Reference Group (ERG). \ud \ud Development of a best practice pathway: \ud PACT project researchers collaborate with clinical staff to develop a best practice pathway suited to the setting of the surgical unit. The pathway provides clear guidelines for screening, assessment, intervention and referral. \ud \ud Implementation: \ud The developed pathway is introduced to the unit through staff training workshops and associate resources and adapted in response to staff feedback. \ud \ud Evaluation: \ud File audits, post workshop questionnaires and semi-structured interviews are administered. \ud \ud Discussion\ud \ud This project allows direct transfer of research findings into clinical practice and can inform future hospital-based injury prevention strategies

Inclusion of hydrodynamic properties of bathing waters is critical in selecting faecal indicators to assess public health impacts of faecal contamination

The EU Bathing Water Directive (BWD) requires member states to assess bathing water quality according to the levels of faecal indicator bacteria (FIB) in designated bathing areas. However, this criterion has two significant limitations given that the BWD does not; (i) account for differences in hydrodynamic properties of bathing waters and, (ii) assumes that all faecal pathogens decay equally in aquatic environments. This study simulated sewage discharge events in three hypothetical aquatic environments characterised by different advection and dispersion parameters in the solute transport equation. Temporal changes in the downstream concentration of six faecal indicators were determined in simulations that utilised measured decay rates of each faecal indicator from a programme of controlled microcosm experiments in fresh and seawater environments. The results showed that the decay rates of faecal indicators are not a critical parameter in advection dominant water bodies, such as in fast-flowing rivers. Therefore, faecal indicator selection is less important in such systems and for these, FIB remains the most cost-effective faecal indicator to monitor the public health impacts of faecal contamination. In contrast, consideration of faecal indicator decay is important when assessing dispersion and advection/dispersion dominant systems, which would pertain to transitional (estuarine) and coastal waterbodies. Results suggest that the inclusion of viral indicators, such as crAssphage and PMMoV, could improve the reliability of water quality modelling and minimise the risk of waterborne illnesses from faecal contamination.</p

Coprostanol as a Population Biomarker for SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Surveillance Studies

Wastewater surveillance is a cost-effective tool for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a community. However, challenges remain with regard to interpretating such studies, not least in how to compare SARS-CoV-2 levels between different-sized wastewater treatment plants. Viral faecal indicators, including crAssphage and pepper mild mottle virus, have been proposed as population biomarkers to normalise SARS-CoV-2 levels in wastewater. However, as these indicators exhibit variability between individuals and may not be excreted by everyone, their utility as population biomarkers may be limited. Coprostanol, meanwhile, is a bacterial metabolite of cholesterol which is excreted by all individuals. In this study, composite influent samples were collected from a large-and medium-sized wastewater treatment plant in Dublin, Ireland and SARS-CoV-2 N1, crAssphage, pepper mild mottle virus, HF183 and coprostanol levels were determined. SARS-CoV-2 N1 RNA was detected and quantified in all samples from both treatment plants. Regardless of treatment plant size, coprostanol levels exhibited the lowest variation in composite influent samples, while crAssphage exhibited the greatest variation. Moreover, the strongest correlations were observed between SARS-CoV-2 levels and national and Dublin COVID-19 cases when levels were normalised to coprostanol. This work demonstrates the usefulness of coprostanol as a population biomarker for wastewater surveillance studies.</p