Effects Of Gambling On Spouse
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The lack of awareness of the disorder makes it difficult enough to identify problem gamblers and connect them to treatment, much less address the impact problem gambling has on loved ones. Spouses in particular experience depression, trauma, anxiety and the extreme stress associated with maintaining family stability. This can lead to burnout. Family members often focus on the person with gambling problems, and forget to take care of themselves or to have fun. Physical and Emotional Abuse. Family violence is more common when families are in crisis. Gambling problems can lead to physical or emotional abuse of a partner, elder parent or child.
*Effects Of Gambling On Spouse Children
*Effects Of Gambling On Spouse Body
*Effects Of Gambling On Spouse Social Security
This article is available in: HTMLjgi: Journal Information
Journal ID (publisher-id): jgi
ISSN: 1910-7595
Publisher: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Article Information
© 1999-2005 The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Received Day: 1 Month: 12 Year: 2003
Accepted Day: 26 Month: 8 Year: 2004
Publication date: March 2005
Publisher Id: jgi.2005.13.6
DOI: 10.4309/jgi.2005.13.6
The results indicate that the spouse of the compulsive gambler is affected by significant social, psychological, and economic stresses that can be directly related to the partner’s gambling activities. The impact of such stresses can be observed in a variety of dysfunctional coping responses. Excerpt from Essay: Gambling The negative effects of gambling have been researched, touted, published and spewed forth from the mouths of researchers and do-gooders for decades, yet there has been an astonishing lack of research accomplished on the positive aspects of gambling influences on modern society (or even past societies for that matter). The reason behind such paucity might be that.The experience of living with a problem gambler: Spouses and partners speak out Affiliation: La Trobe University, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia. E-mail: V.Dickson-Swift@latrobe.edu.au
Affiliation: La Trobe University, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia.
Affiliation: La Trobe University, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia.
[This article prints out to about 22 pages.]
For correspondence: Virginia Dickson-Swift, Lecturer in Public Health, La Trobe University, P.O. Box 199, Bendigo, Victoria 3552 Australia. URL: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/she/staff/publichealth/dickson-swift.html, e-mail: V.Dickson-Swift@latrobe.edu.au
Acknowledgements: Thanks to the BreakEven Team from Community Health Bendigo for their interest and assistance, and to the research participants.
Contributors: This research was part of an honours degree in public health for the first author (VDS). EJ and SK were involved throughout the project in a supervisory capacity and all authors were involved in the writing of the final draft.
Competing interests: None declared.
Ethical approval: Granted by La Trobe University Bendigo Ethics Committee HREC number A055/00 approved on March 21 2000 for the project “The experience of living with a problem gambler: Spouses and partners speak out.”
Funding: This research was not funded.
Virginia Dickson-Swift is a lecturer in public health at La Trobe University. Her teaching areas include health policy, sociology, qualitative research methods, and public health principles. Her research interests include gambling, ethics, and qualitative methodologies.
Dr. Erica James is a public health epidemiologist with training in health promotion and epidemiology. She is currently a senior lecturer in public health research at La Trobe University. Her main research interest is in the use of research findings to inform public health practice and policy. Erica has conducted research on a number of topics in a range of settings, including schools, hospitals, workplaces, and general practice clinics.
Sandra Kippen is a lecturer in public health at La Trobe University. Her teaching areas are sociology, qualitative research methods, communication, and ethics. Her research to date has been in the areas of occupational health and safety and mental illness, as well as the history of health and illness.
Whilst gambling provides a source of enjoyment and entertainment for many people, it can be a source of hardship for others. The problems associated with gambling have been extensively studied with gamblers; however very few studies have been specifically undertaken to identify the impact that gambling has on spouses, partners, and family members.
This qualitative study provided an opportunity for some partners and spouses of people affected by problem gambling to identify the outcomes that gambling had on their lives. It identified that excessive gambling has a number of significant effects on financial security, family relationships, and physical and emotional health.
Problem gambling is a major social health problem that is negatively impacting the lives of many people in our community. Interventions that are designed to deal with problem gambling need to go beyond the gambler and consider those other people in their lives who are often overlooked. Introduction
Gambling has long been a distinctive feature of Australian society (Charlton, 1987). Australians have had ready access to a wide variety of legal gambling pursuits, and gambling taxes have financed many essential services and boosted economic activity (Productivity Commission, 1999; Victorian Casino and Gaming Authority, 1999). However, the last 20 years have seen a major change in gambling with rapid growth in the gaming industry. There are now new forms of gaming including casinos and electronic gaming machines (EGMs), also referred to as poker machines or “pokies” and available in all states in Australia. This has resulted in an increased availability of, and access to, many different forms of gambling in the community. The 1990s have been marked by a major rise in expenditure in Victoria attributable to the introduction of EGMs to the state (Jackson, Thomason, Ryan, & Smith, 1997).
Gambling continues to be undertaken by many people as a legitimate leisure pursuit, with recent Australian and American epidemiological data suggesting that 80–90% of adults gamble at one time in their lives (Dickerson, Baron, Hong, & Cottrell, 1996; Volberg, 1996). Australians are now considered to be the heaviest gamblers in the world, with the average spending per head rising 35 per cent between 1994–95 and 1997–98 (Jackson et al., 1997; Jackson et al., 1998). Recent studies in Australia and New Zealand estimate that problem gambling affects one to two per cent of the adult population (Abbott & Volberg, 1992; Dickerson, Baron, Hong, & Cottrell, 1996; Dickerson, McMillen, Hallebone, Volberg, & Woolley, 1997). The latest estimate of the prevalence of problem gambling in Australia is that 2.3 per cent of the adult population (330,000) have significant gambling problems, with 140,000 experiencing severe problems (Productivity Commission, 1999). These estimates, combined with the increase in gambling outlets, have the potential to impact on the lives of many gamblers and on the lives of their spouses, partners, and other family members.
There are a number of definitions for problem gambling. The Australian Institute for Gambling Research offers the following:
Problem gambling refers to the situation in which a person’s gambling activity gives rise to harm to the individual player, and/or his or her family, and may extend into the community (Dickerson et al., 1997, p.2).
This definition is used for this paper, as it emphasises that problem gambling has the potential to negatively impact on gamblers and their families.
This article presents the results from a qualitative study undertaken in a large regional town in Victoria. It highlights a number of issues raised by partners and spouses of problem gamblers. Literature review
There is a scarcity of literature available on the needs of the gamblers’ spouses and partners. The little research that does exist suggests that spouses and partners suffer a range of problems related to their partners’ gambling.
Families can be seriously disrupted by problem gambling. They may experience difficulties, such as emotional distress from arguments and uncertainty, financial problems, and health problems (Heineman, 1994; Lesieur & Rosenthal, 1991; Volberg, 1994). The burden of problem gambling is borne chiefly by the family (Berman & Siegel, 1992; Lesieur, 1998), adversely affecting spouses, partners and other family members (Abbott, Cramer, & Sherrets, 1995; Darbyshire, Oster, & Carrig, 2001; Ladouceur, Bopisvert, Loranger, & Sylvain, 1994). Some of the problems identified are poor communication, inadequate conflict resolution, and ineffective parenting (Ciarrocchi & Hohmann, 1989; Lorenz & Shuttlesworth, 1983; Lorenz & Yaffee, 1988). Do dx delivery give you a time slot.
Spouses of problem gamblers often reported physical and emotional problems similar to those of the gambler (Dickerson, 1995). These include sleeping problems and a wide range of stress-related physical problems. Others reported high levels of depressive symptoms (Bergh & Kuhlhorn, 1994), and suicide attempts by spouses and partners of problem gamblers are reported to be three times that of the general population (Gaudia, 1987; Lorenz & Yaffee, 1988). As well as the constant stress of living under threat of the above, medical costs associated with illness may exacerbate both health and financial problems. Lack of money can impact on purchasing power for food, medical treatments, and other essentials (Lorenz & Yaffee, 1988).
Lying and deceit are common among gamblers, and the impact this has on the family is marked. Constant lying and deceit may result in marital tension where the reported conflicts include money problems, loan defaults, repossession of property, and the resulting lack of money for everyday necessities (Blume, 1988). Lying can erode trust in a relationship, which can, in turn, gives rise to many other problems including anger, violence, depression, suicidal thoughts, and alcohol abuse (Lorenz & Yaffee, 1988). Partners often feel fearful of the gambler concealing debts, are scared of the loss of financial security, and also report feelings of guilt, self blame, emotional stress, and physical tension (Lorenz & Yaffee, 1988; Lorenz & Shuttlesworth, 1983). They live with the constant threat of being harassed by bill collectors and creditors (Berman & Siegel, 1992; Blume, 1988; Lorenz & Yaffee, 1988). Problem gamblers, their spouses and family members may also feel outcast from their community, friends, and families due to the shame associated with problem gambling. This has a direct effect on the ability of the spouses and partners to participate fully in community and family life.
People with gambling problems have reported engaging in illegal behaviours to finance gambling (Bergh & Kuhlhorn 1994; Blaszczynski & McConaghy, 1994; Ladouceur et al., 1994). The crimes committed included fraud, embezzlement, theft, and forgery. Committing crimes to finance gambling could increase the risk of being incarcerated, which would obviously impact on the spouse or partner and the family.
Another of the most obvious impacts of problem gambling is the economic cost. Gambling can have devastating financial effects on families (Bergh & Kuhlhorn, 1994; Dickerson, Allcock, Blaszczynski, Nicholls, Williams, & Maddern, 1996; Gaudia, 1987; Lorenz & Yaffee, 1988), including inability to pay mortgages and utility bills, and a lack of money for food. Problem gambling can undermine the family’s financial situation and thereby jeopardise the physical and emotional health of the members.
There are few studies conducted in Australia and overseas that directly examine the effects of gambling on spouses or partners. The majority of the published studies relate to gamblers and the impacts their gambling has on their own lives. A client analysis of new clients presenting to the BreakEven/Gamblers Help gambling counselling service in Victoria between 1 July 1997 and 30 June 1998 showed that almost half (44.8 %) of the 3,149 clients registered had one or more dependent children (Jackson et al., 1999). Whilst the majority of clients accessing BreakEven services are people reporting problems with their own gambling, many other people seek assistance from BreakEven due to problems arising from the impact of another person’s gambling (Jackson, Thomas, & Holt, 2002). Problem gambling activity can have a number of pervasive and harmful impacts on people’s lives, and these problems are reported in Table 1. The fact that over three quarters (78.2%) of problem gamblers with dependent children attending BreakEven report five or more of these behaviours suggests that gambling has becoming very problematic, with obvious consequences for both the gambler and other family members.
Partners of problem gamblers report higher rates of interpersonal and family issues than those reported by the gamblers themselves. This highlights that gambling creates a number of problems, not only for the gambler but also for the partners and children of those presenting for counselling.
Qualitative research methods have rarely been employed in gambling research despite their ability to give insight into the real problems faced by gamblers and their partners and families. In light of this gap in gambling research, the study described here qualitatively examines spouses’ and partners’ experiences of living with a problem gambler, explaining in depth the impact of problem gambling on spouses and/or partners. Method
In order to be eligible for inclusion in this study, the participants had to be a partner or a spouse of a problem gambler and be willing to participate in one in-depth interview about their experiences. Recruitment methods included advertisements in local newspapers, and in flyers distributed through local BreakEven gambling counselling services and placed in community health centres.
Five women and two men ranging in age from 35 to 65 years responded to the advertisement and took part in an individual interview. The main forms of gambling undertaken by their partners were horse racing and pokies, with pokies being the most popular and the main source of gambling problems for five out of the seven participants. The length of the relationships with the problem gamblers ranged from 1 year to 35 years, whilst the length of gambling ranged from 2 years to 15 years. One of the participants was currently undergoing counselling with the local BreakEven service. All of the participants lived in the same regional Australian town, and all came from households whose combined income was less than $40,000 per annum. Four of the partners were living with the gambler at the time of the study, with the remaining three having been either divorced or separated in the previous two years. All of those who were living with their partners had told the gambler that they would be taking part in the study.
Data was collected through individual interviews held in a range of venues that were convenient for the participants. The venues chosen included the participants’ homes, interview rooms at a local community health centre, and a local café. All of the interviews were conducted by the first author and were audiotaped. The interview schedule was based on topics identified in the literature and further developed through informal discussions with a number of people attending gambling forums in the local town. The topics for discussion included financial, relationship, emotional, and physical health impacts of gambling on the spouse or partner.
The data from the interviews were analysed using the method of analysis presented by Miles & Huberman (1994, p. 318). The first author transcribed all of the interview tapes, which enabled preliminary analysis to begin. After completion of transcription, data reduction was conducted to develop a coding framework (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). A number of codes were developed for the main themes that emerged from the data. Reliability and validity issues were addressed by the use of audit trails throughout the research process (Grbich, 1999).
Ethical approval was granted for this study from LaTrobe University Bendigo Human Research Ethics Committee. Due to the sensitive and sometimes emotional aspects of problem gambling, the interviewer had information available regarding services and agencies within the local town that were available for those requiring assistance. Results
Those who took part in the interviews expressed their thoughts, feelings, and opinions on the impact that their partner’s gambling had on their lives. The major themes reported below include quotes taken directly from the interviews. These are presented in the participant’s own words. Availability of gambling
All of those whose partners gambled on poker machines advised that their partners began to experience problems with their gambling behaviour after the machines were introduced to the town. Most of the participants felt that the accessibility of poker machines had a direct relationship with the development of gambling problems in their partners.
Things were okay before those machines came to town, she used to take a lottery ticket every week but nothing like this.
I think that it’s too easy; he can go into the club anytime he likes, and they even give out food and drinks just to keep them there. Impacts on the relationship
Many of the participants felt that their partner’s gambling had negatively impacted on their relationship. Three of the relationships had ended, either through separation or through divorce, whilst the other four participants had remained in relationships with their gambling partners. The reasons expressed for remaining in the relationship varied from love for the gambler to believing that there was nowhere else to go. One of the participants expressed her frustration with her inability to leave her partner.
I had no financial support, I would have got nothing from the house because we were owing so much on it and as this friend said to me, “Well at least your kids have got a roof over their head” … so I stayed.
Some participants who had stayed with their gambling partners raised concerns for the future of the relationship. They felt a sense of foreboding, and pondered their own futures if they stayed in the relationship.
You think to yourself if this person is a problem gambler where does that take the relationship in the future?
They acknowledged that they sometimes felt that it would be much less stressful to end the relationship.
Sometimes I think that it would be better if I just left, took the kids and got out. I don’t love him anymore.
Loss of trust emerged as a very significant theme. Many of the participants identified deal
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The lack of awareness of the disorder makes it difficult enough to identify problem gamblers and connect them to treatment, much less address the impact problem gambling has on loved ones. Spouses in particular experience depression, trauma, anxiety and the extreme stress associated with maintaining family stability. This can lead to burnout. Family members often focus on the person with gambling problems, and forget to take care of themselves or to have fun. Physical and Emotional Abuse. Family violence is more common when families are in crisis. Gambling problems can lead to physical or emotional abuse of a partner, elder parent or child.
*Effects Of Gambling On Spouse Children
*Effects Of Gambling On Spouse Body
*Effects Of Gambling On Spouse Social Security
This article is available in: HTMLjgi: Journal Information
Journal ID (publisher-id): jgi
ISSN: 1910-7595
Publisher: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Article Information
© 1999-2005 The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Received Day: 1 Month: 12 Year: 2003
Accepted Day: 26 Month: 8 Year: 2004
Publication date: March 2005
Publisher Id: jgi.2005.13.6
DOI: 10.4309/jgi.2005.13.6
The results indicate that the spouse of the compulsive gambler is affected by significant social, psychological, and economic stresses that can be directly related to the partner’s gambling activities. The impact of such stresses can be observed in a variety of dysfunctional coping responses. Excerpt from Essay: Gambling The negative effects of gambling have been researched, touted, published and spewed forth from the mouths of researchers and do-gooders for decades, yet there has been an astonishing lack of research accomplished on the positive aspects of gambling influences on modern society (or even past societies for that matter). The reason behind such paucity might be that.The experience of living with a problem gambler: Spouses and partners speak out Affiliation: La Trobe University, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia. E-mail: V.Dickson-Swift@latrobe.edu.au
Affiliation: La Trobe University, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia.
Affiliation: La Trobe University, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia.
[This article prints out to about 22 pages.]
For correspondence: Virginia Dickson-Swift, Lecturer in Public Health, La Trobe University, P.O. Box 199, Bendigo, Victoria 3552 Australia. URL: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/she/staff/publichealth/dickson-swift.html, e-mail: V.Dickson-Swift@latrobe.edu.au
Acknowledgements: Thanks to the BreakEven Team from Community Health Bendigo for their interest and assistance, and to the research participants.
Contributors: This research was part of an honours degree in public health for the first author (VDS). EJ and SK were involved throughout the project in a supervisory capacity and all authors were involved in the writing of the final draft.
Competing interests: None declared.
Ethical approval: Granted by La Trobe University Bendigo Ethics Committee HREC number A055/00 approved on March 21 2000 for the project “The experience of living with a problem gambler: Spouses and partners speak out.”
Funding: This research was not funded.
Virginia Dickson-Swift is a lecturer in public health at La Trobe University. Her teaching areas include health policy, sociology, qualitative research methods, and public health principles. Her research interests include gambling, ethics, and qualitative methodologies.
Dr. Erica James is a public health epidemiologist with training in health promotion and epidemiology. She is currently a senior lecturer in public health research at La Trobe University. Her main research interest is in the use of research findings to inform public health practice and policy. Erica has conducted research on a number of topics in a range of settings, including schools, hospitals, workplaces, and general practice clinics.
Sandra Kippen is a lecturer in public health at La Trobe University. Her teaching areas are sociology, qualitative research methods, communication, and ethics. Her research to date has been in the areas of occupational health and safety and mental illness, as well as the history of health and illness.
Whilst gambling provides a source of enjoyment and entertainment for many people, it can be a source of hardship for others. The problems associated with gambling have been extensively studied with gamblers; however very few studies have been specifically undertaken to identify the impact that gambling has on spouses, partners, and family members.
This qualitative study provided an opportunity for some partners and spouses of people affected by problem gambling to identify the outcomes that gambling had on their lives. It identified that excessive gambling has a number of significant effects on financial security, family relationships, and physical and emotional health.
Problem gambling is a major social health problem that is negatively impacting the lives of many people in our community. Interventions that are designed to deal with problem gambling need to go beyond the gambler and consider those other people in their lives who are often overlooked. Introduction
Gambling has long been a distinctive feature of Australian society (Charlton, 1987). Australians have had ready access to a wide variety of legal gambling pursuits, and gambling taxes have financed many essential services and boosted economic activity (Productivity Commission, 1999; Victorian Casino and Gaming Authority, 1999). However, the last 20 years have seen a major change in gambling with rapid growth in the gaming industry. There are now new forms of gaming including casinos and electronic gaming machines (EGMs), also referred to as poker machines or “pokies” and available in all states in Australia. This has resulted in an increased availability of, and access to, many different forms of gambling in the community. The 1990s have been marked by a major rise in expenditure in Victoria attributable to the introduction of EGMs to the state (Jackson, Thomason, Ryan, & Smith, 1997).
Gambling continues to be undertaken by many people as a legitimate leisure pursuit, with recent Australian and American epidemiological data suggesting that 80–90% of adults gamble at one time in their lives (Dickerson, Baron, Hong, & Cottrell, 1996; Volberg, 1996). Australians are now considered to be the heaviest gamblers in the world, with the average spending per head rising 35 per cent between 1994–95 and 1997–98 (Jackson et al., 1997; Jackson et al., 1998). Recent studies in Australia and New Zealand estimate that problem gambling affects one to two per cent of the adult population (Abbott & Volberg, 1992; Dickerson, Baron, Hong, & Cottrell, 1996; Dickerson, McMillen, Hallebone, Volberg, & Woolley, 1997). The latest estimate of the prevalence of problem gambling in Australia is that 2.3 per cent of the adult population (330,000) have significant gambling problems, with 140,000 experiencing severe problems (Productivity Commission, 1999). These estimates, combined with the increase in gambling outlets, have the potential to impact on the lives of many gamblers and on the lives of their spouses, partners, and other family members.
There are a number of definitions for problem gambling. The Australian Institute for Gambling Research offers the following:
Problem gambling refers to the situation in which a person’s gambling activity gives rise to harm to the individual player, and/or his or her family, and may extend into the community (Dickerson et al., 1997, p.2).
This definition is used for this paper, as it emphasises that problem gambling has the potential to negatively impact on gamblers and their families.
This article presents the results from a qualitative study undertaken in a large regional town in Victoria. It highlights a number of issues raised by partners and spouses of problem gamblers. Literature review
There is a scarcity of literature available on the needs of the gamblers’ spouses and partners. The little research that does exist suggests that spouses and partners suffer a range of problems related to their partners’ gambling.
Families can be seriously disrupted by problem gambling. They may experience difficulties, such as emotional distress from arguments and uncertainty, financial problems, and health problems (Heineman, 1994; Lesieur & Rosenthal, 1991; Volberg, 1994). The burden of problem gambling is borne chiefly by the family (Berman & Siegel, 1992; Lesieur, 1998), adversely affecting spouses, partners and other family members (Abbott, Cramer, & Sherrets, 1995; Darbyshire, Oster, & Carrig, 2001; Ladouceur, Bopisvert, Loranger, & Sylvain, 1994). Some of the problems identified are poor communication, inadequate conflict resolution, and ineffective parenting (Ciarrocchi & Hohmann, 1989; Lorenz & Shuttlesworth, 1983; Lorenz & Yaffee, 1988). Do dx delivery give you a time slot.
Spouses of problem gamblers often reported physical and emotional problems similar to those of the gambler (Dickerson, 1995). These include sleeping problems and a wide range of stress-related physical problems. Others reported high levels of depressive symptoms (Bergh & Kuhlhorn, 1994), and suicide attempts by spouses and partners of problem gamblers are reported to be three times that of the general population (Gaudia, 1987; Lorenz & Yaffee, 1988). As well as the constant stress of living under threat of the above, medical costs associated with illness may exacerbate both health and financial problems. Lack of money can impact on purchasing power for food, medical treatments, and other essentials (Lorenz & Yaffee, 1988).
Lying and deceit are common among gamblers, and the impact this has on the family is marked. Constant lying and deceit may result in marital tension where the reported conflicts include money problems, loan defaults, repossession of property, and the resulting lack of money for everyday necessities (Blume, 1988). Lying can erode trust in a relationship, which can, in turn, gives rise to many other problems including anger, violence, depression, suicidal thoughts, and alcohol abuse (Lorenz & Yaffee, 1988). Partners often feel fearful of the gambler concealing debts, are scared of the loss of financial security, and also report feelings of guilt, self blame, emotional stress, and physical tension (Lorenz & Yaffee, 1988; Lorenz & Shuttlesworth, 1983). They live with the constant threat of being harassed by bill collectors and creditors (Berman & Siegel, 1992; Blume, 1988; Lorenz & Yaffee, 1988). Problem gamblers, their spouses and family members may also feel outcast from their community, friends, and families due to the shame associated with problem gambling. This has a direct effect on the ability of the spouses and partners to participate fully in community and family life.
People with gambling problems have reported engaging in illegal behaviours to finance gambling (Bergh & Kuhlhorn 1994; Blaszczynski & McConaghy, 1994; Ladouceur et al., 1994). The crimes committed included fraud, embezzlement, theft, and forgery. Committing crimes to finance gambling could increase the risk of being incarcerated, which would obviously impact on the spouse or partner and the family.
Another of the most obvious impacts of problem gambling is the economic cost. Gambling can have devastating financial effects on families (Bergh & Kuhlhorn, 1994; Dickerson, Allcock, Blaszczynski, Nicholls, Williams, & Maddern, 1996; Gaudia, 1987; Lorenz & Yaffee, 1988), including inability to pay mortgages and utility bills, and a lack of money for food. Problem gambling can undermine the family’s financial situation and thereby jeopardise the physical and emotional health of the members.
There are few studies conducted in Australia and overseas that directly examine the effects of gambling on spouses or partners. The majority of the published studies relate to gamblers and the impacts their gambling has on their own lives. A client analysis of new clients presenting to the BreakEven/Gamblers Help gambling counselling service in Victoria between 1 July 1997 and 30 June 1998 showed that almost half (44.8 %) of the 3,149 clients registered had one or more dependent children (Jackson et al., 1999). Whilst the majority of clients accessing BreakEven services are people reporting problems with their own gambling, many other people seek assistance from BreakEven due to problems arising from the impact of another person’s gambling (Jackson, Thomas, & Holt, 2002). Problem gambling activity can have a number of pervasive and harmful impacts on people’s lives, and these problems are reported in Table 1. The fact that over three quarters (78.2%) of problem gamblers with dependent children attending BreakEven report five or more of these behaviours suggests that gambling has becoming very problematic, with obvious consequences for both the gambler and other family members.
Partners of problem gamblers report higher rates of interpersonal and family issues than those reported by the gamblers themselves. This highlights that gambling creates a number of problems, not only for the gambler but also for the partners and children of those presenting for counselling.
Qualitative research methods have rarely been employed in gambling research despite their ability to give insight into the real problems faced by gamblers and their partners and families. In light of this gap in gambling research, the study described here qualitatively examines spouses’ and partners’ experiences of living with a problem gambler, explaining in depth the impact of problem gambling on spouses and/or partners. Method
In order to be eligible for inclusion in this study, the participants had to be a partner or a spouse of a problem gambler and be willing to participate in one in-depth interview about their experiences. Recruitment methods included advertisements in local newspapers, and in flyers distributed through local BreakEven gambling counselling services and placed in community health centres.
Five women and two men ranging in age from 35 to 65 years responded to the advertisement and took part in an individual interview. The main forms of gambling undertaken by their partners were horse racing and pokies, with pokies being the most popular and the main source of gambling problems for five out of the seven participants. The length of the relationships with the problem gamblers ranged from 1 year to 35 years, whilst the length of gambling ranged from 2 years to 15 years. One of the participants was currently undergoing counselling with the local BreakEven service. All of the participants lived in the same regional Australian town, and all came from households whose combined income was less than $40,000 per annum. Four of the partners were living with the gambler at the time of the study, with the remaining three having been either divorced or separated in the previous two years. All of those who were living with their partners had told the gambler that they would be taking part in the study.
Data was collected through individual interviews held in a range of venues that were convenient for the participants. The venues chosen included the participants’ homes, interview rooms at a local community health centre, and a local café. All of the interviews were conducted by the first author and were audiotaped. The interview schedule was based on topics identified in the literature and further developed through informal discussions with a number of people attending gambling forums in the local town. The topics for discussion included financial, relationship, emotional, and physical health impacts of gambling on the spouse or partner.
The data from the interviews were analysed using the method of analysis presented by Miles & Huberman (1994, p. 318). The first author transcribed all of the interview tapes, which enabled preliminary analysis to begin. After completion of transcription, data reduction was conducted to develop a coding framework (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). A number of codes were developed for the main themes that emerged from the data. Reliability and validity issues were addressed by the use of audit trails throughout the research process (Grbich, 1999).
Ethical approval was granted for this study from LaTrobe University Bendigo Human Research Ethics Committee. Due to the sensitive and sometimes emotional aspects of problem gambling, the interviewer had information available regarding services and agencies within the local town that were available for those requiring assistance. Results
Those who took part in the interviews expressed their thoughts, feelings, and opinions on the impact that their partner’s gambling had on their lives. The major themes reported below include quotes taken directly from the interviews. These are presented in the participant’s own words. Availability of gambling
All of those whose partners gambled on poker machines advised that their partners began to experience problems with their gambling behaviour after the machines were introduced to the town. Most of the participants felt that the accessibility of poker machines had a direct relationship with the development of gambling problems in their partners.
Things were okay before those machines came to town, she used to take a lottery ticket every week but nothing like this.
I think that it’s too easy; he can go into the club anytime he likes, and they even give out food and drinks just to keep them there. Impacts on the relationship
Many of the participants felt that their partner’s gambling had negatively impacted on their relationship. Three of the relationships had ended, either through separation or through divorce, whilst the other four participants had remained in relationships with their gambling partners. The reasons expressed for remaining in the relationship varied from love for the gambler to believing that there was nowhere else to go. One of the participants expressed her frustration with her inability to leave her partner.
I had no financial support, I would have got nothing from the house because we were owing so much on it and as this friend said to me, “Well at least your kids have got a roof over their head” … so I stayed.
Some participants who had stayed with their gambling partners raised concerns for the future of the relationship. They felt a sense of foreboding, and pondered their own futures if they stayed in the relationship.
You think to yourself if this person is a problem gambler where does that take the relationship in the future?
They acknowledged that they sometimes felt that it would be much less stressful to end the relationship.
Sometimes I think that it would be better if I just left, took the kids and got out. I don’t love him anymore.
Loss of trust emerged as a very significant theme. Many of the participants identified deal
https://diarynote-jp.indered.space
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