Long‐term continuous clients and their needs: a New Zealand analysis

Abstract

National New Zealand data (2002) indicate that 27% of gambling clients remain in treatment for longer than 12 months. This research retrospectively analysed data from long‐term continuous, re‐admitted and brief therapy clients. The data were obtained from a national database and were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. Results indicated that relevant differences between long‐term continuous and other clients occurred in ethnicity and clinic location. The latter was confounded by the number of clinics versus clients. The average age of long‐term continuous clients was 43 years; 5–6 years older than other clients; however, this marginally failed to reach a level of statistical significance. The results led to the proposal of two alternative models of therapy for clients with gambling problems: (a) a six‐session capsule model and (b) an inductive, open‐ended model (with regular review component). Further research is required to test the efficacy of these models.

Notes

This work was conducted in collaboration with the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand (Inc.) and funded by the Problem Gambling Committee.