A literature review on self-exclusion programs has just been published in a special issue on the social cost and public health impact of gambling and online gaming in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Entitled Qualitative Experience of Self-Exclusion Programs: A Scoping Review, this literature review summarized the existing literature on self-exclusion programs and explored participants' perceptions and experiences of self-exclusion. An electronic literature search was conducted on May 16, 2022, in the following databases: Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Plus with full text, Education Source, ERIC, MEDLINE with full text, APA PsycArticles, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, APA PsychInfo, Social Work Abstracts, and SocINDEX. The search yielded a total of 236 articles, of which 109 remained after duplicates were removed. After reading the full text, six articles were included in this review. The available literature shows that, although current self-exclusion programs have many barriers and limitations, self-exclusion is generally considered an effective responsible gambling strategy. There is a clear need to improve current programs by increasing awareness, publicity, availability, staff training, off-site exclusion, and technology-assisted supervision, as well as by adopting more holistic approaches to managing gambling disorders in general.
Congratulations to the entire team that contributed to this scoping review:
Cyril Devault-Tousignant
Nicolas Lavoie
Pre Mélissa Côté
Sophie Chapdelaine
Anne-Marie Auger
Professor Anders Håkansson
Magaly Brodeur
