Gambling-related problems across life domains: an exploratory study of non-treatment-seeking weekly gamblers. Issue 5 (19th October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Eby, Lillian T.; Mitchell, Melissa E.; Gray, Cavan J.; Provolt, Laura; Lorys, Anna; Fortune, Erica; Goodie, Adam S.
• Is Part Of: Community, work & family. Volume 19:Issue 5(2016)
• Page Start: 604
• Page End: 620
• Publication Date: 2016-10-19
• Subjects: Gambling -- family -- non-work -- work -- life roles -- addictive behavior; Juego para dinero -- família -- trabajo -- papeles de vida -- conducta adictiva; Women -- Employment -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; Work and family -- Periodicals; Community -- Periodicals; 301
• DOI: 10.1080/13668803.2015.1112255
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1366-8803

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This study uses content analysis to provide a qualitative exploration of how life roles are affected by frequent (i.e. at least weekly) gambling, based on in-depth interviews with a community sample of 161 non-treatment-seeking frequent gamblers. Over half (51.6%) of the participants indicated problems associated with gambling and 131 examples were identified. The majority of problems were relational (50.4%), followed by financial (19.8%), work (13.7%), and school related (8.4%). Slightly less than half of participants (41.7%) reported losses due to gambling and 92 examples were provided. The most frequently reported loss was identity related (54.3%), which included self-esteem/shame (38.0%), estrangement from family (34.0%), estrangement from friends (16.0%), and estrangement from work colleagues (6.0%). Additional losses included health (29.3%) and financial (8.7%). Almost two-thirds of participants (64.6%) reported difficulty concentrating in family (18.4%), work (16.8%), and school (9.6%) activities, whereas general concentration problems comprised an additional 48.8% of the examples provided. Half of participants (49.1%) discussed behavioral withdrawal due to gambling, which included withdrawal from work (44.3%), relationships (24.5%), school (15.1%), and personal (6.6%) activities. These findings paint a complex picture of how gambling interferes with different life roles for some frequent gamblers, identifying important areas for future research and practice.