Asking the Question

Clients are often unwilling to admit that they have a gambling problem – unless you ask the right questions

Questions relating to gambling should be included in your routine client assessment. Both direct and circular questioning methods can be useful in screening your clients for problem gambling:

Direct Questioning

In primary care practice, the use of diagnostic screening tools to identify problem gambling can be problematic because of the length of the measurement tool.

It may be more useful to include a direct, concise screening question about gambling as part of your intake interview.

Direct questioning aims to:

• normalise problem gambling as an issue
• introduce the topic of problem gambling in a non-confronting, non-personalised manner
• ensure that all clients are screened for problem gambling

How effective is direct questioning?

In 2007, the Victorian Government-funded the Problem Gambling Research and Treatment Centre, to trial a one item gambling screen alongside the Canadian Problem Gambling Index. The study comprised 2012 participants in the primary sample.

Participants were asked the following "yes" or "no" question:

"Have you ever had an issue with your gambling?"

The one item gambling screen - correctly classified 95.4% of the participants, in line with the more extensive CPGI.

Circular Questioning

Circular questioning can also be a useful tool in screening clients for gambling problems. Rather than asking direct questions relating to gambling, it may be helpful to raise or address the topic with questions that do not specifically mention gambling, such as:

“Are there any particular stresses that might be contributing to the way you feel?”

Circular questioning allows you to identify the symptom that may have brought the client to your service. Rather than focusing on gambling as a direct cause, these questions identify factors that might be a consequence of the gambling.

This method is particularly useful for culturally and linguistically diverse and Indigenous clients.

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