Personal profile
Biography
I joined Northumbria University as a full-time member of staff in 2022, having completed my undergraduate degree, MRes, and PhD at the university. My PhD research was externally funded by GambleAware and was supervised by Professor Mark Moss.
I currently serve as Programme Leader for the BSc Psychology programme and contribute to teaching across multiple areas. I support students on the undergraduate placement modules and deliver research methods teaching on the distance learning MSc Occupational Psychology programme.
Research interests
My research focuses on understanding gambling behaviour and developing evidence-based approaches to harm reduction. I'm particularly interested in examining the impact of gambling marketing on behaviour, with particular attention to how gamblers perceive and interact with promotional content.
I'm also interested in the role of digital platforms in shaping gambling behaviour. This includes examining gambling marketing on social media, where I've studied both the content of advertisements posted by operators and affiliates, and experimentally tested interventions designed to promote safer gambling through these channels. My work in this area seeks to understand how digital environments create unique risks for gamblers and identify opportunities for more effective harm reduction strategies.
I'm currently working on a funded project to develop a psychometric measure to assess the change beliefs of at-risk gamblers. Through better understanding the beliefs that at-risk gamblers have about making changes to their gambling behaviour, I hope to develop targeted interventions to reduce gambling behaviour that are theory-driven.
Methodologically, my research employs mixed-methods approaches, combining qualitative techniques such as interpretative phenomenological analysis with experimental designs and observational studies. I'm committed to conducting research that not only advances academic understanding but also has practical applications for policy development and intervention design in the field of gambling harm reduction.
Education/Academic qualification
Psychology, PhD, An Investigation into Social Media Marketing of Gambling within Great Britain, its Impact Upon Behaviour and the Potential for Effective Safer Gambling Promotion, Northumbria University
Award Date: 1 Aug 2021
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
-
SDG 4 Quality Education
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Research output
- 6 Article
-
Adapting in times of crisis: how social media marketing of gambling changed with major shifts in the gambling landscape
Houghton, S., Boy, F., Bradley, A., James, R. J. E., Wardle, H. & Dymond, S., 13 Oct 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Information Communication and Society. p. 1-17 17 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Downloads (Pure) -
An initial exploration of fatigue as a predictor of quality of life in transplant athletes competing at national and international events
Rogerson, D., Houghton, S., Jooste, J. & Hogg, M., 2024, In: Journal of Sports Sciences. 42, 2, p. 116-124 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile31 Downloads (Pure) -
Exploring the Impact of Safer Sports Betting Promotion on Social Media: An Experimental Study
Houghton, S. & Moss, M., 1 Sept 2024, In: Journal of Gambling Studies. 40, 3, p. 1085-1102 18 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile4 Citations (Scopus)34 Downloads (Pure) -
Assessing the bets advertised on Twitter by gambling operators and gambling affiliates – an observational study incorporating simulation data to measure bet success
Houghton, S. P. B. & Moss, M., 4 May 2023, In: International Gambling Studies. 23, 2, p. 225-238 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile9 Citations (Scopus)50 Downloads (Pure) -
Frequent gamblers’ perceptions of the role of gambling marketing in their behaviour: An interpretative phenomenological analysis
Houghton, S., Punton, G., Casey, E., Mcneill, A. & Moss, M., 16 Jun 2023, In: PLoS One. 18, 6, 17 p., e0287393.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile6 Citations (Scopus)41 Downloads (Pure)