Evaluation of the effectiveness of online mental health first aid guidelines for helping someone experiencing gambling problems

Objective: Family and friends can encourage treatment seeking for gambling problems, if they know how to appropriately discuss their concerns. Online information can be helpful in providing advice for this. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the online mental health first aid guidelines for helping someone with gambling problems. 

Method: Between October 2015 and January 2018, people who downloaded the guidelines for helping someone with gambling problems were invited to complete two online surveys, one before downloading the guidelines and another four weeks after. The surveys asked participants how they found out about the guidelines, why they were interested in them and their usefulness. They also asked participants whether they tried to help anyone with gambling problems. 

Results: The survey was completed by 142 people (pre-download) and 43 (post-download). Approximately three quarters were female and were predominantly from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and USA. Almost half had some gambling training. The majority (93%) found the guidelines useful. Thirty-five per cent helped someone after downloading the guidelines and thought that the guidelines contributed to a successful outcome. Half of those who received help from the participants went on to seek professional assistance. 

Discussion: Although this study has limitations, it appears that the mental health first aid guidelines for helping someone with gambling problems may be a useful and effective tool for providing members of the public with basic supportive skills. Further work needs to be done to increase the reach and impact of these guidelines.