Small Grants 2024-25

With the support of the AGRI Small Grant, we conducted a secondary analysis with gamblers who participated in a single motivational interview (MI) session. In the context of MI, ambivalence and its resolution are central to one’s decisions regarding behavioural goals. To that end, two possible yet discrepant definitions of client ambivalence were examined: Ambivalence as an equal ratio of perceived costs to benefits of change (D1) and ambivalence as depersonalized and non-committal language (D2). Our first objective was to compare these definitions in terms of their predictive effects on gambling severity outcomes at 3-month follow-up. 12 MIs (N = 12) were selected for coding of client language, including those with the best (n = 6) and worst (n = 6) outcomes. In line with our hypothesis, D1 predicted greater improvements in gambling severity scores compared to D2. Specifically, clients who spoke more about the benefits of changing their gambling (i.e., change talk) rather than the costs (i.e., sustain talk) exhibited significantly greater reductions in their NODS-GD scores (p<.05). We then conducted a full sample analysis (N = 66), using linear regressions to see if client ambivalence, as described in D1, predicted change in severity scores at 3-month follow-up. The relationship was found to be non-significant. However, an exploratory analysis using moderated linear regression found that while women who exhibited more change talk reduced severity at 3-month follow-up, men who exhibited more sustain talk also reduced their severity at 3-month follow-up.

These interesting results led to our second objective, which was to examine the effects of facilitator language on client ambivalence. Past research has speculated that facilitator use of MI techniques may moderate the participants change talk during the interview. To investigate this, we will analyze all the MIs from the same trial (N = 66) in more depth by coding for the frequency of MI techniques (e.g., open questions, affirmations, reflections). The coding of facilitator language is currently in progress and will be presented as a poster at the AGRI 2026 Conference. A manuscript will result from these analyses.

This project will advance scientific understanding on the mechanisms of change among clients with problem gambling, which in turn will bolster clinicians’ ability to elicit, reflect, and affirm the specific types of change-related language that are most predictive of behaviour change. This client population commonly experiences decisional conflict as a barrier to behaviour change. Thus, by examining how specific therapist techniques influence the resolution of ambivalence within a single MI session, the study will contribute to refining theoretical models of change in addictive behaviours. Findings may also elucidate the therapeutic strategies that are most effective in time-limited interventions, thereby informing evidence-based practice guidelines for clinicians working in gambling treatment settings.

The results of this research have the potential to improve clinical outcomes for individuals presenting with problem gambling by identifying targeted strategies that can be implemented in brief interventions commonly used in community and healthcare settings. Enhanced effectiveness of single-session MI could increase treatment accessibility, reduce the risk of relapse, and lower gambling-related harms such as financial distress, relationship disruption, and mental health difficulties. In the long-term, these findings may also inform therapist training programs and public health approaches aimed at reducing such harms.

Tourani, M., Brazeau, B. W., & Hodgins, D. C. (in preparation). What’s a clinician to do? Two analyses of gamblers’ ambivalence and the influence of clinical strategies in motivational interviewing. 

Tourani M, Brazeau BW, Henkel L, & Hodgins DC. (2026, May). Beyond words: Does client change talk matter? Poster to be presented at Alberta Gambling Research Institute (AGRI) 25th Annual Conference, Banff, Canada.

Tourani, M., Brazeau, B., Henkel, L., & Hodgins, D. C. (2025, April 24–26). Beyond Words: Does client change talk matter? [Poster presentation]. Alberta Gambling Research Institute Annual Conference 2025, Banff, AB, Canada. 

Tourani, M., Brazeau, B., Henkel, L., & Hodgins, D. C. (2024, April 11–13). Exploring Ambivalence: Deconstructing its meaning in motivational interviewing [Poster presentation]. Alberta Gambling Research Institute Annual Conference 2024, Banff, AB, Canada.