Researcher: Deakin University
Executive summary
Despite making up a considerable proportion of the population and experiencing a range of harms, there are limited treatment options for family members and friends affected by someone else’s problematic alcohol, illicit drug, gambling or internet gaming use (i.e., affected others). Available treatments for affected others typically include the addicted person (e.g., couples and family therapies and treatments directed to the addicted person that involve the affected other). Recently, however, there has been a rise in psychosocial treatments that are directed towards helping the affected other in their own right. To date, no systematic review or meta-analysis in the addiction field has focused on treatments directed towards affected others, with all available systematic reviews exploring a combination of affected other treatments, and treatments that are directed towards, or rely on the presence of, the addicted person (e.g., couples and family therapies).
This review will therefore be the first to focus solely on treatments that are directed towards the affected other, which can include affected other-focused treatments (i.e., help the affected other manage the impacts of addiction), as well as addicted person-focused treatments (i.e., equip the affected other to support the addicted person). By exploring affected other treatments across numerous addictions (alcohol use, substance use, gambling and internet gaming), this review will identify gaps in knowledge and provide the formative work necessary for the development of evidence-based treatments for individuals affected by gambling harm.
Read the report Affected other treatments: Systematic review and meta-analysis across addictions on the Deakin University website.