Rate My Professor Aino Suomi

Associate Professor Aino Suomi is the Director of the Centre for Gambling Research at the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods, part of POLIS: The Centre for Social Policy Research within the Australian National University's College of Arts and Social Sciences. As a public health researcher and psychologist, she earned her PhD in Psychology from the University of Melbourne and her Master of Psychology (MPsych) from the University of Jyväskylä in Finland. Throughout her career, Suomi has held research positions focused on vulnerable populations, contributing to advancements in understanding family dynamics affected by social risks. Her work at ANU builds on prior appointments, including roles at the University of Melbourne, where she advanced studies in psychological and social factors influencing wellbeing.

Suomi's research specializations include problem gambling, gambling harm, psychiatric epidemiology, economic and social risk factors, PTSD and trauma, child protection, family welfare, and family interventions. She has significantly advanced knowledge on child and family wellbeing amid gambling harm, examining family impacts of problem gambling, the link between problem gambling and family violence, and help-seeking for gambling harm with co-occurring mental health issues. Notable publications encompass 'Longitudinal gambling risk transitions: evidence from a nationally representative Australian sample' (Suomi et al., 2025, Addiction Research and Theory), 'Gambling participation and risk after COVID-19: Analysis of a population representative longitudinal panel of Australians' (Suomi et al., 2024, Addiction), 'Harm profiles associated with low-risk gambling: Longitudinal analysis of three datasets' (Suomi et al., 2024, ACT Gambling and Racing Commission), 'Contact with mothers for children in out-of-home-care: Group-based trajectory modelling from the Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study (POCLS)' (Suomi et al., 2024, Child Abuse and Neglect), and 'Interparental Coercive Control and Child and Family Outcomes: A Systematic Review' (Xyrakis et al., 2024, Trauma, Violence, and Abuse). Her findings have directly informed policy development and service enhancements in gambling harm prevention and family support across Australia.