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An Exploratory Study of the Impacts of Gambling on Affected Others Accessing a Social Service

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Abstract

Problem gambling affects many people beyond the problem gambler themselves. Help-seeking is relatively rare among affected others, especially those in lower socio-economic communities. However, these affected others are sometimes in contact with other support agencies. The present research interviewed 10 people seeking support through a social agency who reported being affected by someone else’s gambling. Data from semi-structured interviews were analysed using an inductive descriptive approach to identify three themes: (1) This is ugly, (2) It affects everything and (3) I just do it by myself. The results highlight the normality of harmful gambling across generations, the lack of any positive aspects to gambling for affected others and the impacts on families and children. Specific gambling-related help-seeking remains rare; however, the opportunity to provide support, information and advice on approaches to co** to affected others as they contact social services is highlighted.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the participants for generously giving up their time and sharing their experiences. We also thank Lisa Campbell, Sue Hohaia and Charlotte Manase for sharing their expertise and supporting the recruitment of participants.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health & Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, 90 Akoranga Drive, Northcote, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand

    Jason Landon & Elizabeth Grayson

  2. School of Psychology, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK

    Amanda Roberts

Authors
  1. Jason Landon
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  2. Elizabeth Grayson
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  3. Amanda Roberts
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jason Landon.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

Jason Landon, Elizabeth Grayson and Amanda Roberts declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Informed Consent

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000 (5). Informed consent was obtained from all participants for being included in the study.

Appendix 1. Indicative Structure Used To Guide the Interviews with Participants

Appendix 1. Indicative Structure Used To Guide the Interviews with Participants

For our research, we have an interest in people that are affected by a person they know who is a problem gambler. Because you have said that gambling affects you, we would like to chat to you about your experiences. We have a few questions in mind but what we are interested in is your experience (including feelings and opinions), so if you have things you wish to bring up please do so. If you feel uncomfortable talking about any issues and do not want to answer a question that just tell us that you wish to pass. What you tell me will not affect you getting assistance at Salvation Army-Oasis now or in the future. I would like to record this interview on a digital voice recorder and I will make notes occasionally to assist me later, is that ok?

Indicative questions—participant led:

  1. 1.

    Can you tell me a bit about gambling in your family/whānau?

    1. a.

      What sort of gambling do you and/or your family/whānau participate in?

    2. b.

      Is gambling an important part of your family/whānau life?

    3. c.

      What are the good things about gambling for you?

  2. 2.

    As you know, the questions you answered when you came to Salvation Army-Oasis indicated that you are affected by someone else’s gambling.

    1. a.

      Can you tell me how gambling has affected you and your family/whānau?

    2. b.

      What are the positive effects?

      1. i.

        Fun, family/whānau fun, money, winning [prompts if needed]

    3. c.

      What are the negative effects?

      1. i.

        Money, time, children, food, housing [prompts if needed]

  3. 3.

    I know that gambling can have impacts on people, and whilst it can be a struggle many people find ways to cope better with those effects.

    1. a.

      Do you find you need support—if so, who do you go to?

      1. i.

        Family/whānau/friends, church, social workers, community groups [prompts if needed]

    2. b.

      What do they offer that you find helpful?

      1. i.

        Listening, money, childcare, food, faith [prompts if needed]

    3. c.

      What other things do you personally do to cope with the gambling problems?

      1. i.

        Time to self, time with children/family/whānau, gambling, alcohol [prompts if needed]

    4. d.

      What other support do you think would be helpful for you?

  4. 4.

    I know that in addition to gambling there are probably other problems in your life. How much of a problem is gambling for you?

    1. a.

      How often do you think about it?

    2. b.

      How often do you or your family/whānau miss out on something because of it?

      1. i.

        Can you tell me about an example?

    3. c.

      How often do you or your family/whānau benefit from it?

      1. i.

        Can you tell me about an example?

  5. 5.

    What, if anything, would you like to change about your family/whānau’s gambling?

  6. 6.

    Is there anything else you would like to mention about gambling and its effects on you?

    Thank you for your time today, I really appreciate you sharing your experiences with me; they are incredibly valuable, and we are very grateful.

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Landon, J., Grayson, E. & Roberts, A. An Exploratory Study of the Impacts of Gambling on Affected Others Accessing a Social Service. Int J Ment Health Addiction 16, 573–587 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-017-9785-4

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