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Washington University
School of Medicine
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Mentored Research Scientist Development
Award: Issues in Comorbid Gambling and Drug Abuse (GAMCO)
Abstract
This NIDA Mentored Research Scientist Award
(K01) provides the foundation for
Dr. Renee Cunningham-Williams' career
and research development through coursework and advanced training in drug
abuse research, behavioral drug pharmacology and clinical issues, and
statistics. This award allows expertise to be applied in these areas to a
research project (described below) that addresses nosological issues in
one of the fastest growing problems co-morbid with drug abuse --
pathological gambling.
This project has the following seven specific
aims:
(1) To test the feasibility and acceptability of the Computerized
Gambling Assessment Module (C-GAM) among adults and adolescents recruited
from the community and from drug treatment settings;
(2) To establish 1-week test-retest reliability estimates of the
C-GAM and to assess its reliability in males vs. females, underage (15-20
year olds) vs. legal age gamblers (21-70 year olds), African- Americans
vs. Caucasians, urban vs. suburban residents, and persons with co-morbid
psychiatric and substance abuse problems vs. persons without such
problems; comorbidity will be assessed by the DIS (Conduct and ASPD), GAM
Drug and Alcohol Module (GAM-DA), and CES-D (depression). ;
(3) To assess concordance by comparing the C-GAM to the most widely
used research tool for assessing problem gambling - The South Oaks
Gambling Screen (SOGS);
(4) To evaluate any reasons for low reliability by asking
respondents at the end of the retest interview to explain discrepancies
between responses given to C-GAM items at the first and second interviews;
(5) To assess concordance rates between self-reports of gambling
and collateral informant reports;
(6) To improve the C-GAM based on the results of the data derived
from the proposed study;
(7) To provide a foundation for launching an independent behavioral
science research career by providing important psychometric data for a
larger epidemiologic study of the prevalence of gambling and the personal
and environmental factors that may predispose or protect underage and
legal age gamblers from developing co-morbid pathological gambling
problems.
The development and testing of the Computerized CATI version of the GAM
for use in the project currently underway. Data collection will begin in
Fall 2003. Our plan is to administer the CATI version of the C-GAM to 300
15-70 year olds with a goal of 50% women, 50% African-American, and 50%
with comorbid disorders.
*The C-GAM is a comprehensive assessment of problem and pathological
gambling providing an overall diagnosis according to DSM-III, III-R, IV
and ICD-10 criteria and also for 11 different gambling activities. Several
additional, yet briefer C-GAM –related assessments have also been
developed for DSM-IV only (GAM-IV). These include computerized and/or
paper-pen assessments for interviewer (GAM-IV-I) and self-assessment
(GAM-IV-S) and past 12-month PG (GAM-IV-12). Preliminary data from various
pilot tests show promising internal consistency reliability in the general
population and validity when compared to clinical diagnosis in a clinical
sample. GAMCO has nearly completed its screening and recruitment of
eligible subjects.
Click here for the GAMCO 2003
progress report
Publications:
For a complete list of gambling-related publications and presentations,
please click here (Renee M.
Cunningham-William's C.V.)
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Projects
Prescription Drug Misuse, Abuse and Dependence
Club Drug Use, Abuse, and Dependence
International Supplement
STD Supplement
Women
Teaching Women - (WTW)
Improving Treatment Services for Substance Abusers with Comorbid Depression
(SAD)
Sister
to Sister - (STS)
Nosology
Over-the-Counter Syringe Purchase in Four Communities
Each
One Teach One - (EOTO)
Substance Abuse and Risk for AIDS - (SARA)
St.
Louis' Effort to Reduce the Spread of AIDS and IVDUs - (ERSA)
Issues in Comorbid Gambling and Drug Abuse - (GAMCO)
Gambling and Personality Protocol - (GAPP)
Community Based HIV Prevention Among Females at Risk in Bangalore INDIA
Deconstructing HIV Interventions Among Female Offenders
Enrolling and Retaining Female Offenders in HIV Trials
Collaborative MDMA and Other Club Drugs Study
Evaluating the Social Structure of a Local Heroin Market (NIDA-funded)
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Epidemiology and Prevention Research Group 
