Development of the 10-item and 20-item gambling harms scale for affected others (GHS-10-AO and GHS-20-AO)

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Author(s): Browne, Matthew ; Tulloch, Catherine ; Rockloff, Matthew J. ; Hing, Nerilee ; Russell, Alex M. T. ; Li, En ; Rawat, Vijay ; Dellosa, Georgia ; Newall, Philip W. S.

Journal: Addictive Behaviors

Year Published: 2026

Date Added: November 28, 2025

Gambling is a common recreational activity, although it can lead to numerous harms. However, harms experienced by affected others (AOs) are often overlooked. AOs are people who have a close relationship with someone who gambles. At present, there is a lack of validated instruments to measure harms that AOs may experience that are benchmarked to health utility, a standard metric to gauge the impact of different health conditions.

In this study, the researchers developed and validated two scales to assess harms among AOs, named the GHS-10-AO and GHS-20-AO. Both scales were found to be reliable and valid measures. Scores on these scales were associated with scores on measures of health and wellbeing. Lastly, the data indicated that AOs primarily experienced harms related to emotions, relationships, and finances.

Citation: Browne, M., Tulloch, C., Rockloff, M., Hing, N., Russell, A. M. T., Li, E., Rawat, V., Dellosa, G., & Newall, P. (2026). The 10-item and 20-item gambling harms scale for affected others (GHS-10-AO, GHS-20-AO): Benchmarked to health utility using propensity weighting and control for comorbidities. Addictive Behaviors, 172, 108513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2025.108513

Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2025.108513

Keywords: affected others ; Concerned Significant Other (CSO) ; gambling harm ; risk assessment

Conceptual Framework Factors: Environment - Social and Economic Impacts ; Resources - Risk Assessment ; Social - Family and Peer Gambling Involvement ; Gambling Environment ; Gambling Resources

Study Design: Descriptive: Survey

Geographic Coverage: Australia

Study Population: Adults living in Australia who reported a close relationship with a person who had gambled in the past 12 months (n = 2,018). Among this sample, there was a subsample of 572 who were found not to have experienced harm from another person’s gambling.

Sampling Procedure: Eligible respondents were recruited from a commercial panel, with participants provided with redeemable points for rewards. To take part in the study, respondents were required to live in Australia, be 18 years of age or older, and have had a personal relationship with a person who had gambled (except for raffles, lotteries, and scratch tickets) in the past 12 months.

Study Funding:

Funding was provided through a grant from the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation.