Project team members:

• Prof. Neven Ricijaš, PhD
• Prof. Martina Lotar Rihtarić, PhD
• Assoc. Prof. Ajana Low Maštruko, PhD
• Assis. Prof. Sabina Mandić, PhD
• Sanja Radić Bursać, prof. soc. ped.

Associates:

• Assis. Prof. Davor Bodor, PhD, dr. med.
• Ana Rakić, prof.soc.ped.

Previous research in the field of gambling has contributed to understanding the etiology and phenomenology of gambling addiction, as well as potential interventions for individuals with gambling disorders. However, most studies have focused primarily on gamblers themselves. Significant others - partners, parents, children, and friends - have been largely overlooked in research, despite scientific evidence indicating a range of harmful psychosocial consequences they experience. Gambling-related harm is often hidden and difficult to quantify, and a major limitation of existing instruments lies in their insufficient differentiation by relationship type, which consequently limits their applicability in clinical practice. The aim of this project is to contribute to a more comprehensive scientific understanding of gambling-related harm among significant others, and to develop and validate specific self-assessment instruments - separately for parents and partners of individuals with gambling problems. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research will be conducted in four phases: (1) literature review and analysis of findings from a pilot project (quantitative methodology), (2) qualitative research (focus groups with significant others; N=24 participants), (3) construction and validation of self-assessment instruments (N≈200 participants), and (4) quantitative research on a national sample (N≈200) aimed at identifying gambling-related harms experienced by significant others as well as other relevant correlates. The key scientific contribution of this project lies in the development and validation of new self-assessment instruments for measuring gambling-related harm among significant others, specifically adapted to relationship type (parents or partners of individuals with gambling problems). This approach overcomes the limitations of currently available international instruments. Furthermore, the project has evidence-based practical implications, including the creation of guidelines for the application of these instruments in practice and the development of psychosocial interventions targeting significant others of individuals with gambling addiction.

The proposed project represents an innovative contribution to gambling addiction research because it shifts the focus from problem gamblers to their significant others, thereby addressing an important and under-researched phenomenon. By using a mixed-methods approach, the project will facilitate an understanding of the complexity of significant others’ experiences, while the development of differentiated self-report instruments (depending on relationship type) will further ensure the relevance and applicability of the results. In this way, the project establishes a link between science and practice, as the findings will serve as a foundation for developing evidence-based guidelines for assessment and the design of interventions aimed at supporting significant others affected by gambling problems at the national level, across different types of treatment and care.