Paul Delfabbro

University of Adelaide · School of Psychology

Studies involving the analysis of objective data from online operators attempt to address common concerns about biases in self-report research. This paper surveys the progress in this area of research over the last 15 years. The findings highlight many areas of achievement, including: the development of a set of behavioural markers that reliably di...

Play-to-earn (P2E) is a new form of monetised gaming based on blockchain and crypto-currency technology. Such games offer opportunities to combine gaming with speculative investment through the purchase of tradable in-game currencies and assets (non-fungible tokens). In this paper, we investigate the profile of people most likely to be attracted to...

Although child wellbeing is known to be negatively affected by gambling, relatively little is known about the specific harms experienced by children exposed to parental gambling problems. The current study aimed to better understand gambling harm directly attributed to regular parental gambling in key areas of child wellbeing: financial, psychologi...

Background and aims: The concept of impaired control is central to addictive disorders, including gaming disorder in the DSM-5 and ICD-11. Impaired control refers to the recurrent inability to resist impulses to engage in certain activities or behaviours and the failure to limit or stop this engagement. Although numerous screening tools for gaming...

Background and aims Limited research has investigated how individuals' problem gaming affects significant others. The present study investigated the extent to which partners and parents were personally affected by their partner or child's problematic gaming behavior and what steps, if any, were taken in relation to treatment and other help-seeking...

Background and aims: It is well understood that engagement with some forms of gambling, like EGMs, is riskier than other forms. However, while reports of associations are common, few studies have attempted to evaluate and compare the relative risk of all available forms, and none have estimated the relative contribution of each form to the total b...

Conspiracy theory (CT) beliefs have become an important policy‐relevant research area since the events of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Increasing interest has been directed towards strategies that might reduce people's susceptibility to conspiratorial beliefs. In this study, we examined whether encouraging a stronger orientation toward critical scientifi...

Gambling behaviour is likely to be strongly influenced by operant learning principles. Most forms of gambling, and most notably slot machine play, follow a random ratio (RR) schedule of reinforcement that should lead to rapid and extinction-resistant behaviour. In this paper we highlight the caveats that need to be applied when generalising animal...

The boundary between highly engaged and problematic video gaming is often debated in the behavioral addictions field. The present study assessed whether quality of life, motivational and protective factors may differentiate high-frequency gamers (i.e., those who play 30+ hours per week) who did, and did not, meet the DSM-5 criteria for gaming disor...

Background and aims Play-to-earn (P2E) gaming is a newly emerging form of gaming increasingly based on blockchain technology. In this paper, we examine the mechanics and business model of these games and their potential benefits and risks for players. Methods The paper draws upon and critically synthesises the developing published literature on pr...

Schizotypal and autistic traits have both been implicated in the development of conspiracy theory (CT) beliefs. However, there are both similarities and differences between these traits that may increase an individual’s susceptibility to CT beliefs. Past research has often taken a variable-centred approach which assumes that the relationships among...

Objective To examine differences in youth justice (YJ) system contact patterns, early life characteristics, child protection system contact, and adolescent mental health outcomes among young people who have early, late or no contact with the YJ system. ApproachData were from the Better Evidence Better Outcomes Linked Data (BEBOLD) platform includin...

A common assumption in many public frameworks is that the harms and behavioural risk factors associated with gambling disorder lie on a continuum. At one end is lower risk or recreational gambling, and at the other, problem or disordered gambling. Movements along this continuum are associated with gradual increases or decreases in the level of beha...

This study examines the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in a representative sample of young people under youth justice supervision in South Australia. The analysis showed that not only was the prevalence of ACEs particularly high in this population (89% experienced a combination of maltreatment and household dysfunction), but so...

Although there has been an increasing interest in the notion of involved fatherhood, few studies have examined how fathers who work part-time and engage in child-rearing make sense of this experience. The present study explores how part-time working fathers positioned themselves in terms of their ‘at home’ and ‘at work’ identities. Thematic analysi...

This study examined the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and suicidal behaviour in a sample of 1726 young men in an Australian youth justice detention population. Nine ACEs, including child abuse and parental risk factors, were examined. Analyses focused on whether ACEs were associated with suicidal ideation and attempts aft...

Participation in electronic gaming machine (EGM) gambling has declined sharply in Australia over the last two decades. At the same time, there has been a gradual slowing and decline in revenue from this form of gambling. In this paper, we use data drawn from a series of population surveys in a single jurisdiction (South Australia) to gain insights...

Background Children living with a problem gambling parent are at risk of harm but no previous systematic reviews have specifically focused on the relationship of parental problem gambling and child wellbeing outcomes. The current review aimed to redress this gap by reviewing all available empirical evidence on parental problem gambling and child we...

The Pathways Model proposes three principal pathways into pathological or problem gambling which is predicated on two principal assumptions. The first is that risk factors can be differentiated into distinct clusters. The second is that certain preexisting individual differences, co-morbidities or circumstances contribute to an increased risk of su...

Stigma refers to the attribution of negative sentiments towards a particular entity, object or individual. Stigma can be public, perceived, or self-referential and can have negative consequences for individuals, including losses of self-esteem, self-efficacy, social isolation and a reluctance to seek help. Problem gambling is known to be a stigmati...

Aims This study aimed to examine perceived social norms, the effect of parental drinking on these norms, alcohol use in front of children, and how norms and consumption vary based on child age and gender of the parent. Methods A cross-sectional online panel survey was undertaken with n = 1000 Australian adults (including 670 parents) aged 18–59 ye...

Background: There is currently considerable public policy and regulatory interest in the nature and prevalence of underage gambling. Research in this area has purported to show that adolescents are at elevated risk of problem gambling and that early exposure to gambling or gambling-like activities could be a potential precursor to future harm. Me...

Although many psychological and sociological factors have been implicated in the development of conspiracy theory (CT) beliefs, analytical thinking has been considered a key protective factor. However, it is not clear if engaging in systematic or rigorous information searching is always protective, particularly if this involves a confirmation bias...

Evidence suggests that harms may result from gambling participation as a result of a complex interaction between individual differences among consumers, environmental factors, and the characteristics of the gambling product. The latter of these factors, broadly referred to in this paper as product risk, has received increased policy attention in re...

Background Predictable user passwords remain a prevalent threat to organisational cybersecurity. Despite the well-known risks, employee password behaviours continue to be poor, and this presents an opportunity for organisational psychology to offer a human perspective. Ego Depletion theory holds that performing tasks requires the use of a limited r...

Scratch cards (SCs) or tickets are lottery-based games which are played by scratching to reveal numbers, letters or symbols to win prizes. Such activities have sometimes been likened to paper-based slot-machines, but relatively little systematic analyses have been conducted to examine the risk or harm associated with these activities. In this paper...

Countries with public policies that support gambling through gambling legislation foster an environment in which gambling is socially accepted, tacitly encouraged and actively promoted. Although gambling worldwide has features in common, countries differ in terms of the nature of their gambling markets. The current study examined the role of percei...

Background and aims Crypto-currency trading is a rapidly growing form of behaviour characterised by investing in highly volatile digital assets based largely on blockchain technology. In this paper, we review the particular structural characteristics of this activity and its potential to give rise to excessive or harmful behaviour including over-sp...

The specific nature of harm and functional impairment in the context of gaming disorder (GD) has received limited attention. In this study, we present one of the first concerted attempts to measure the types and degree of harm experienced by people displaying signs of problem gaming. Attempts were made to assess the extent to which types of harm we...

Recent research has shown that harm is not just a feature of problem gambling, but can also be observed in other lower risk categories. Some debates exist, however, as to the distribution of harm across these categories and how harm should be best measured. This study was designed to examine how estimates of self-reported harm are affected by the m...

Little is known about the relative severity and nature of harms in different behavioural addictions. In this study, a range of harm-related questions were administered to 128 problem gamblers (M = 81, F = 45) classified using the Problem Gambling Severity Index and 72 problem gamers (M = 67, F = 5) classified using Petry et al.’s (2014) Internet Ga...

Some forms of speculative trading share similarities with gambling. Decisions are often based on limited information, short-term motives for gain, and highly volatile and uncertain outcomes. Given these similarities, there is evidence to show that people who are attracted to gambling are also statistically more likely to engage in higher risk specu...

Conspiracy Theories (CT) are complex belief systems that view the world as being manipulated by multiple actors collaborating in the pursuit of malevolent goals. Although culture, education and sociological factors have been implicated in their development, psychological factors are recognized as important. Certain individual differences, including...

Conspiracy theory (CT) beliefs are thought to be related to a number of individual differences that make certain individuals more prone to this style of reasoning. In this study, we investigate (a) the relationship between CT beliefs and a standardized measure of judgment (the Bias Against Disconfirmatory Evidence task or BADE) and (b) the extent t...

Recognition of the role of structural characteristics and their potential association with gambling harm has led to the development of protocols to assess the risk of gambling products. Such tools rate products on a range of ‘risk criteria’ and assign classifications that might be used to inform product design or regulatory decision-making. One of...

Prevention and harm minimization approaches to problem gaming have become a matter of growing public health interest, following the recognition of gaming disorder and hazardous gaming in the ICD-11. The present study was the first to gather firsthand accounts of the potential options and challenges for prevention approaches among regular and proble...

A high percentage of information-based work is now conducted in open-plan offices as opposed to traditional cellular offices. In this systematic review, we compare health, work, and social outcomes as well as employee outcomes for workers in the two environments. From a total of 10,242 papers reviewed, we identified 31 papers which met strict inclu...

This article suggests that the type of Internet-enabled device should not be prioritised when conceptualizing diagnostic categories of addictive online behaviours. The diagnostic distinction between "predominantly mobile" and "predominantly non-mobile" forms of Internet use disorders (IUD) is not empirically based, may not be clinically useful and...

Background and aims Loyalty programs are implemented widely by gambling operators to provide customers with additional prizes and benefits for consistent patronage. The aim of this paper was to examine whether loyalty programs were more commonly reported by higher risk gamblers in large population studies conducted in Australia. Method This paper...

This report describes young people's (aged 10 to 17 years) involvement with the Youth Justice system in South Australia using linked administrative data from the Better Evidence Better Outcomes Linked Data (BEBOLD) platform.

This report examines the overlap between the Youth Justice and Child Protection systems in South Australia and profiles selected characteristics of children and young people who had involvement with these systems.

Background Gaming disorder was included in the latest revision of the International Classification of Diseases (11th ed.). Worldwide, prevalence estimates of gaming disorder are considerably heterogeneous and often appear to be exceedingly high. However, few studies have examined the methodological, cultural and/or demographic factors that might ex...

Researchers and policymakers have called for a shift from incident-driven statutory child protection responses to greater investment in coordinated system-wide child and family focused approaches to preventing child maltreatment. However, system-wide capacity to prevent maltreatment is limited without an intelligent information infrastructure that...

Cybersecurity training and awareness programs can act to exacerbate rather than improve the cybersecurity threat posed by naïve and non-malicious actions of employees [1, 2]. Employees report being unable to keep up with cybersecurity demands while also managing their core workload [1]. Cyber Fatigue is a weariness, aversion, or lack of motivation...

In recent years, there has been an increase in advocacy and social media activism in the field of gambling studies. Much of the focus of this activity has been directed toward concern about the lack of concerted government action to reduce gambling-harm as well as concern about industry influence in government policy and research agendas. It is tho...

Background: Engagement in responsible or 'positive play' strategies is known to be negatively associated with problem gambling, as indexed by measures such as the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). Less is known about whether positive play is associated with reduced harm or a greater ability to enjoy the recreational benefits of gambling. Ai...

Similarities between video-games and gambling have led to the proposition that video-gaming could act as a ‘gateway’ activity for gambling. In this paper, we review the major lines of evidence advanced to support this idea, including evidence for the co-occurrence of the two activities; the relationship between problem gambling and problem gaming;...

Although it is often assumed that electronic gaming machines (EGMs) are associated with the highest level of risk, it has proved difficult to find reliable evidence in support of this proposition. In this paper, we analysed statistics from major Australian community prevalence studies for the period 2011–2020 to investigate whether EGMs (in compari...

An important consequence of adoption of public health approaches in the field of gambling studies has been the increasing emphasis afforded to gambling harm. Reducing or eliminating harm has now become the overt stated mission of many government foundations and funding bodies. A by-product of these developments has been the gradual reduction of ref...

Many governments around the world have adopted a public health (PH) approach as a framework to minimise, reduce or prevent gambling-related harm. In principle, this appears very sensible given the success of PH approaches in other areas of society: in disease control, nutrition, physical exercise and reductions in smoking. In this paper, we examine...

Previous studies have down that erroneous Conspiracy Theory (CT) beliefs develop more strongly in people who have underlying conspiratorial reasoning styles and psychopathological traits and particularly when they are faced with stressful external events (Swami et al., 2013; van Prooijen, 2018). In this study, we test this proposition by examining...

Stay-at-home mandates and quarantines related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have led to greatly increased participation in online gaming. Initiatives such as #PlayApartTogether that promote gaming for socializing and stress reduction may achieve positive outcomes. Although gaming can be a healthy coping strategy for the majority, it can al...

Cybersecurity training and awareness programs can act to exacerbate rather than improve the cybersecurity threat posed by naïve and non-malicious actions of employees [1, 2]. Employees report being unable to keep up with cybersecurity demands while also managing their core workload [1]. Cyber Fatigue is a weariness, aversion, or lack of motivation...

People who engage in gambling are known to hold erroneous views about the nature of gambling. One of the most commonly observed cognitive biases is the illusion of control, where people’s subjective appraisal of contingency between behavior and events is greater than the objective contingency. Such beliefs have been found to be strongest in problem...

Skill-based elements are increasing being introduced to electronic gaming machines to appeal to a broad consumer cohort by offering different play experiences. In this paper, we examine what is meant by skill in gambling and to what extent electronic skilled-gambling games differ from existing forms of gambling. Using examples drawn from recent mar...

This paper examines the significance of recent developments in research relating to gambling-related harm. Previous research, it is argued, has failed to capture gambling-harm in a way that is useful to inform public policy and regulation. This is because most standardised psychometric measures and the DSM classifications have conflated gambling be...

People who commit sexual offences are a heterogeneous group, with research suggesting that children and young people commit a large proportion of all sex offences, especially those committed against other children. This systematic review provides a synthesis of literature concerning the characteristics of children and adolescents who exhibit harmfu...

Conspiracy theories (CT) are belief structures which attribute the causes of events to malevolent forces, often involving multiple actors, to bring about outcomes that serve particular powerful interests or agendas. Two principal explanations are usually advanced to account for these beliefs. One is that CTs arise from deeper psychopathological con...

Background and aims: This paper proposes that future research into electronic gaming machines (EGMs) is likely to benefit from conceptual and methodological approaches that capture the dynamic interplay between game parameters as well between the psychological needs of gamblers and their behavior. Methods: The argument concerning the importance...

Empirical knowledge about the prevalence and interrelatedness of adverse childhood experiences in young people involved in youth justice systems in Australia is limited. This study examined the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences in a sample of young people who were detained in youth justice services in South Australia. It also explored how...

Objective According to Diener (1984), wellbeing is a multi‐faceted concept reflecting satisfaction with life, good physical health, and fewer negative psychological symptoms. Using data from a 10‐year longitudinal study of school leavers (n = 390), we examine whether people aged 25 can be differentiated into clusters based on indicators of wellbein...

Introduction and Aims Parental role modelling of alcohol use is known to influence alcohol consumption in adolescence and in later life. This study aimed to assess relationships between parental status, child age and alcohol consumption, which have not been well documented. Design and Methods Data were sourced from the 2013 Australian National Dru...

Individualized metacognitive training (MCT+) is a novel psychotherapy that has been designed to specifically target delusional beliefs in people with psychosis. It works by developing an awareness of the implausible content of delusional beliefs, while also targeting the cognitive biases that contribute to their formation and maintenance. It was ex...

Problematic Internet gaming represents a potential public health concern due to its negative consequences for players and their families. It has been argued that disordered gaming may manifest more readily in vulnerable individuals who lack alternative means of coping. This study investigated Internet gaming disorder (IGD) in relation to coping, in...

Internet Gaming Disorder: Theory, Assessment, Treatment, and Prevention is an informative and practical introduction to the topics of Internet gaming disorder and problematic gaming. This book provides mental health clinicians with hands-on assessment, prevention, and treatment techniques for clients with problematic gaming behaviors and Internet g...

Self-forgiveness has been demonstrated to be beneficial for both psychological and social wellbeing. RFT and ACT reveals that language in and of itself creates suffering and attendant struggle with burdens of shame, guilt, remorse, and regret. Research into Adverse Childhood Events indicates that high rates of Morbidity and Mortality in adults -...

FREE ACCESS ONLINE: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/add.14388 Note: Consortium list in supplementary file. Dr. King conceived of the letter and wrote the first draft. Joel Billieux, Paul Delfabbro, Marc Potenza, John Saunders, and Dan Stein made substantial edits to multiple versions of the letter. Additional feedback from unnamed...

In this study, we examine the relationship between owner demographic characteristics, owner personality and dog ratings on the MCPQ-R and CBARQ dog temperament scales.

Lateralisation has been found to be related to success in service roles for assistance dogs and noise phobias in domestic dogs. This poster presents the results of a study using the Kong test to determine motor laterality in domestic dogs and their performance on the task

In many countries where gambling is legalised, there has been a strong public policy focus on the need for strategies to reduce gambling related harm. These have often included policies requiring staff in gambling venues to identify and/or assist people who might be experiencing gambling-related harm. To facilitate this process, researchers have de...

Objective: This study investigated the extent to which violent offending in a population of young people detained in secure care facilities is related to variations in child maltreatment after controlling for other known individual and social correlates of crime. Method: Official child protection and youth justice records and survey information for...

Problematic use of Internet games is recognized as a significant mental health issue for adolescents and their families. The present study investigated features of the parent-child relationship, including trust, communication, and alienation, in the context of adolescents’ Internet gaming problems. A total of 824 secondary school students (402 male...

In this article, we provide a commentary on Hancock and Smith’s critique of the Reno model of responsible gambling. In our view, Hancock and Smith raise many legitimate concerns about the progress of gambling policy reform. Most attempts at minimising the harm associated with higher risk gambling products such as EGMs have been based on responsible...

A report commissioned and funded by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

The present study investigated the relationship between engaging in day trading and engaging in traditional forms of gambling in South Australia. Consistent with a previous study on this issue, it would appear that most individuals who engage in day trading are heavily involved traditional gamblers who include day trading in their repertoire of act...

Purpose of Review Recent international developments in policy and prevention for disordered or hazardous gaming are summarized. The regional scope included the USA, UK, Australia, Germany, China, Japan, and South Korea. Recent Findings Many recent prevention studies have trialled school-based programs to train healthier Internet and gaming use hab...

Lucid dreaming is a learnable skill and has a wide range of potential applications. However, research in this area has been limited by a lack of effective and reliable lucid dream induction techniques. The present study provides a thorough investigation into 3 of the most promising cognitive lucid dream induction techniques-reality testing, wake ba...

Background Alcohol consumption by young people (particularly early initiation) is a predictor for poorer health in later life. In addition, evidence now clearly shows a causal link between alcohol and cancer. This study investigated prevalence, predictors of alcohol consumption among adolescents including perceptions of the link between alcohol and...

Children who enter care are frequently from families who are disadvantaged economically, socially and emotionally. Such disadvantage often co-exists with other risk factors including a history of abuse as well as socio-cultural differences such as being from minority of an Indigenous background where there can be additional issues such as social ma...