Matthew Stevens

Research Interests

Addiction Clinical Psychology Mental Health Preventive Medicine Child and Adolescent Health Neuroscience, Behaviour and Brain Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander public health and wellbeing Public Health and Health Services Public Health Behavioural epidemiology

Dr Matthew Stevens

Grant-Funded Research Fellow

School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences

College of Health

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Available For Media Comment.

I graduated from the University of Adelaide with a PhD in clinical psychology in 2021. The focus of my graduate studies was on the epidemiology of, and preventative measures for problematic gaming. Currently, I am a grant-funded senior research fellow in the School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, working on the ASSIST program. The ASSIST program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. The focus of our work involves the scaling up of Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) for substance use disorders in a variety of healthcare settings.
 
My research at adelaide focuses on strengthening various healthcare systems responses to preventable alcohol and other drug-related harm. In 2025 I began working on a project at Flinders University which focuses on behavioral addictions. This has led me to develop technical report chapters for the World Health Organization (WHO) and work on collaborative projects with researchers from all over the world. 

Date Position Institution name
2025 - ongoing Post-doctoral Senior Researcher Flinders University
2024 - ongoing Senior Researcher (C) University of Adelaide
2021 - 2024 Grant Funded Researcher (B) the University of Adelaide

Date Institution name Country Title
2017 - 2021 The University of Adelaide Australia PhD
2016 The University of Adelaide Australia BPsySc (Hons) - First Class
2013 The University of Adelaide Australia BPsySc

Year Citation
2026 Sanders, J. L., Stevens, M. W. R., Radunz, M., Delfabbro, P. H., & King, D. L. (2026). Should gaming disorder include non-digital gaming activities, e.g., collectible card games, tabletop games?. JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL ADDICTIONS, 4 pages.
DOI
2026 Stevens, M. W. R., Radunz, M., Király, O., Griffiths, M. D., Delfabbro, P., Demetrovics, Z., . . . King, D. L. (2026). Beyond the debate: toward pragmatic evaluation of Australia's social media age restrictions. The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, 68, 101818.
DOI
2025 Stevens, M. W. R., Bertossa, S., Barry, D., Holmwood, C., Lee, K. S. K., Marsden, J., . . . Ali, R. L. (2025). ASSIST in Pitjantjatjara: Protocol for a randomised crossover validation study among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 47, 101532-1-101532-8.
DOI
2025 Stevens, M. W. R., Radünz, M., Galanis, C., Quinney, B., Zajac, I., Billieux, J., . . . King, D. L. (2025). Red Box, Green Box: Psychometric evaluation of a self‐report behavioral frequency measurement approach for behavioral addictions research. Addiction, 121(2), 1-11.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC2
2025 Harpas, I., Stevens, M., Radunz, M., Williamson, P., Hamamura, T., Svendsen, O., & King, D. L. (2025). Treatment of gaming disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychiatry Research, 354, 116783-1-116783-14.
DOI
2025 Nuske, J., Nuske, L., Stevens, M. W. R., Billieux, J., Delfabbro, P. H., Hides, L., . . . King, D. L. (2025). The association between gaming disorder and impulsivity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 60(1), 1-16.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2025 Svendsen, O., Stevens, M. W. R., Hamamura, T., Harpas, I., Radunz, M., & King, D. L. (2025). Reporting quality standards in gaming disorder treatment evidence: A systematic review.. Acta psychologica, 262, 106063.
DOI
2025 Ibáñez-Martínez, N., Stevens, M. W. R., Civit-Bel, N., Moreno-Ferrer, N., Lopez-Ferré, S., Olivares-Casado, A., . . . Ali, R. (2025). Validity, reliability and clinical utility of ASSIST-Y in assessing risk of substance-related harm and dependence in Spanish male adolescents. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 19(1), 1-14.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2025 Radunz, M., Stevens, M. W. R., Behm, S., Demetrovics, Z., Delfabbro, P., & King, D. L. (2025). Advancing cognitive behaviour therapy for gaming disorder: A call for collaborative action. Addiction, 120(10), 2152-2153.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC1
2024 Stevens, M. W. R., Ivers, R., Telenta, J., & Ali, R. L. (2024). Building workforce capacity to address substance use in primary health care: preliminary results from a mixed-methods pilot program. Australian Journal of Primary Health, 30(1), PY23148-1-PY23148-8.
DOI Scopus2 WoS1 Europe PMC1
2024 Stevens, M. W. R., Cooper, M., Cusack, L., Ali, R. L., & Briley, A. L. (2024). Improving the quality of antenatal screening and early intervention for alcohol and other drug use: protocol for a multi-stage approach to systems reform. Addiction Science and Clinical Practice, 19(1), 2-1-2-8.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC1
2024 Stevens, M. W. R., Cooper, M., Cusack, L., Ali, R. L., Holmwood, C., & Briley, A. L. (2024). Screening and early intervention for substance use during pregnancy: A retrospective case note review of antenatal care records. Drug and Alcohol Review, 43(7), 1817-1828.
DOI Scopus3 WoS4 Europe PMC4
2023 Stevens, M. W., Dorstyn, D., Delfabbro, P. H., & King, D. L. (2023). Corrigendum to: Stevens, M. W. R., Dorstyn, D., Delfabbro, P. H., & King, D. L. (2021). Global prevalence of gaming disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 55, 553-568.. Aust N Z J Psychiatry, 57(6), 928.
DOI Scopus9 WoS9 Europe PMC7
2022 Ali, R., & Stevens, M. (2022). Moving toward Voluntary Community-Based Treatment for Drug Use and Dependence.. Health and Human Rights, 24(1), 183-187.
Scopus3 WoS1 Europe PMC1
2022 Stevens, M. W. R., Harland, J., Alfred, S., & Ali, R. L. (2022). Substance use in the emergency department: Screening for risky drug use, using the ASSIST-Lite. Drug and Alcohol Review, 41(7), 1565-1576.
DOI Scopus4 WoS4 Europe PMC5
2021 Stevens, M. W. R., Delfabbro, P. H., & King, D. L. (2021). Prevention approaches to problem gaming: a large-scale qualitative investigation. Computers in Human Behavior, 115, 106611-1-106611-8.
DOI Scopus24 WoS19
2021 Stevens, M. W. R., Delfabbro, P. H., & King, D. L. (2021). Prevention strategies to address problematic gaming: an evaluation of strategy support among habitual and problem gamers. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 42(2), 183-201.
DOI Scopus19 WoS15 Europe PMC9
2020 Stevens, M. W., Dorstyn, D., Delfabbro, P. H., & King, D. L. (2020). Global prevalence of gaming disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 55(6), 553-568.
DOI Scopus626 WoS570 Europe PMC378
2019 Stevens, M. W. R., King, D. L., Dorstyn, D., & Delfabbro, P. H. (2019). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for internet gaming disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 26(2), 191-203.
DOI Scopus218 WoS189 Europe PMC130
2019 Stevens, M., Murn, C., & Hennessey, R. (2019). Population change of Red Kites <i>Milvus milvus</i> in central southern England between 2011 and 2016 derived from line transect surveys and multiple covariate distance sampling. ACTA ORNITHOLOGICA, 54(2), 243-254.
DOI WoS8
2019 Stevens, M., Murn, C., & Hennessey, R. (2019). Population change of Common Buzzards <i>Buteo buteo</i> in central southern England between 2011 and 2016. BIRD STUDY, 66(3), 378-389.
DOI WoS2
2013 Lonsdale, J., Thomas, J., Salvatore, M., Phillips, R., Lo, E., Shad, S., . . . Moore, H. F. (2013). The Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project. NATURE GENETICS, 45(6), 580-585.
DOI WoS6604
2010 Stevens, M., Sheehan, D., Wilson, J., Buchanan, G., & Cresswell, W. (2010). Changes in Sahelian bird biodiversity and tree density over a five-year period in northern Nigeria. BIRD STUDY, 57(2), 156-174.
DOI WoS11
- Stevens, M., Barry, D., Bertossa, S., Thompson, M., & Ali, R. (2022). First-Stage Development of the Pitjantjatjara Translation of the World Health Organization’s Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST). Journal of the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet, 3(4), 1-32.
DOI
- Stevens, M. W. R., Bertossa, S., Dominic, B., Holmwood, C., Lee, K. S. K., Marsden, J., . . . Ali, R. (n.d.). Assist in Pitjantjatjara: An Order-Randomised Validation Study Protocol.

Year Citation
2025 Murrins Marques, L., Riyoiti Uchida, R., Makoto Uchida, P., Oyamada Otani, V. H., & Nickenig Vissoci, J. R. (Eds.) (2025). Social and Affective Neuroscience of Gaming. In . Springer Nature Switzerland.
DOI
2025 Stevens, M. W. R., King, D. L., & Delfabbro, P. H. (2025). Epidemiology of Problem Gaming: Prevalence, Patterns, and Trends. In Social and Affective Neuroscience of Gaming Insights from Fundamentals to Public Mental Health Applications (pp. 277-288). Springer Nature Switzerland.
DOI

Year Citation
2025 Nuske, J. K., Stevens, M. W. R., Nuske, L. D., & King, D. L. (2025). Gaming disorder and impulsivity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. In JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL ADDICTIONS Vol. 14 (pp. 1 page). AKADEMIAI KIADO ZRT.
2023 Briley, A., Ali, R., Cooper, M., Cusack, L., & Stevens, M. W. R. (2023). Screening for alcohol and other drug use during pregnancy: Exploring rates of detection and intervention during antenatal care visits. In DRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW Vol. 42 (pp. S47). WILEY.
WoS1
2023 Lee, K. S. K., Wilson, S., Ali, R., Stevens, M. W. R., Hides, L., Ward, J., . . . Conigrave, K. M. (2023). Symposium: Digital innovation in alcohol and other drug use research and practice. In DRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW Vol. 42 (pp. S5-S6). WILEY.
2023 Ali, R., & Stevens, M. W. R. (2023). Digital interventions for substance use disorders: Challenges and opportunities from the lens of primary health. In DRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW Vol. 42 (pp. S6-S7). WILEY.
2022 Stevens, M., Barry, D., Bertossa, S., Thompson, M., & Ali, R. (2022). Translation and cultural adaptation of the World Health Organization's Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test into Pitjantjatjara. In DRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW Vol. 41 (pp. S129). WILEY.
2021 Stevens, M. W. R., Gowing, L., Harland, J., Alfred, S., & Ali, R. (2021). SCREENING FOR RISKY SUBSTANCE USE IN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT PRESENTATIONS: A PILOT INVESTIGATION OF ASSIST-LITE TO INVESTIGATE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SUBSTANCE USERS ATTENDING THE ROYAL ADELAIDE HOSPITAL. In DRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW Vol. 40 (pp. S135-S136). WILEY.
2017 DeJesus, J., Trujillo, M., Gu, X., Stevens, M., Bradshaw, J., Camden, J., & Jenkins, D. (2017). Synthesis of functionalized NHC-CO2 adducts for applications in SERS-based sensing on noble metals. In ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY Vol. 253 (pp. 1 page). CA, San Francisco: AMER CHEMICAL SOC.
2010 Stevens, M., Johnsen, E. O., & Hecht, S. (2010). Synthesis of photoswitchable N-heterocyclic carbenes. In ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY Vol. 240 (pp. 1 page). AMER CHEMICAL SOC.

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2024 Principal Supervisor Developing an ASSIST-Lite (the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test) related brief intervention training package for antenatal clinics. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mrs Aidi Shuai
2023 Co-Supervisor Characterising the Treatment Needs, Barriers and Facilitators Among Women Who Use Methamphetamine: A Mixed Methods Study. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Georgia Henderson
2023 Co-Supervisor Characterising the Treatment Needs, Barriers and Facilitators Among Women Who Use Methamphetamine: A Mixed Methods Study. - Doctorate Full Time Ms Georgia Henderson

Connect With Me

External Profiles

Other Links