The Relationship Between Family Gambling Problems, Other Family Stressors, and Health Indicators in a Large Population-Representative Sample of Australian Adults

Applying General Strain Theory to the Relationship Between Strain from Another Person's Gambling Behavior and Gambling Disorder

Prior research has identified a host of factors that increase the likelihood that an individual will develop problem gambling, clinically diagnosed as Gambling Disorder (GD), most of which would be identified by criminologists as "strains" under the framework of General Strain Theory (GST). This study utilizes propositions from GST to determine whether strain from another person's gambling may be related to why people develop GD and whether gender is a moderating factor in this relationship. Secondary data is analyzed to assess levels of strain individuals experience from another person's gambling behavior, its relationship to the individual's risk of Gambling Disorder, and the role gender plays in this relationship. Findings demonstrate a relationship between the strain from the perceived problem gambling of someone with a close relationship and having a gambling disorder. Experiencing strain from a spouse/partner who is perceived as a problem gambler has the strongest correlation with an individual also having Gambling Disorder. Considering gender as a moderating factor, this effect was stronger on men than women, calling into question the strong belief that it is primarily women who gamble to escape problems.

The roles of coping style and social support in the experience of harm and distress among people affected by another person's gambling

BACKGROUND

Gambling-related harms can negatively impact the health and wellbeing of those around the person who gambles (affected others, AOs). The stress-strain-coping-support (SSCS) model proposes that the type of coping strategies AOs use, and the availability of social support, can effectively reduce some of these negative consequences. The current study aimed to explore the assumptions in the SSCS model by examining the role of coping styles and social support on the experience of harm and psychological distress in AOs.

METHOD

A community sample (N = 1,131) of AOs completed the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), Gambling Harm Scale for Affected Others (GHS-AO-20; harm), Significant Other Closeness Scale, Kessler-6 (K6; psychological distress), Brief Coping Questionnaire (coping styles) and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (social support). Data were analysed using hierarchical multiple regression.

RESULTS

The use of maladaptive coping styles was positively associated with harm and psychological distress. Social support was significantly negatively correlated with harm and distress. When all predictors were included in regression analyses, the only significant predictors of harm and distress were being exposed to a more severe gambling problem, being closer to the person with the gambling problem, greater use of maladaptive coping styles, and lower levels of social support. Some interaction effects were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

Some commonly used coping behaviours may inadvertently exacerbate harm and distress, while social support appears to be protective against negative health impacts. Education, treatment, and support to AOs could provide options that address these findings.

Prevalence and self-rated health and depression of family members affected by addictive disorders: results of a nation-wide cross-sectional study

AIMS

To estimate the prevalence of family members affected by addictive disorders (FMA) with regard to various types of addictive disorders, and self-rated health and depression in the general population.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional general population survey.

SETTING

The German Health Update study (GEDA) 2014/2015, a nationally representative panel of German residents aged 15 years or older.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 24 824 residents aged 15 years or older.

MEASUREMENTS

Participants were asked if they had a family member with current or past addictive disorder, the type of addiction and the relationship status. In addition, self-rated health and depression were assessed using standardized questionnaires.

FINDINGS

Of the respondents, 9.5% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 9.0-10.0] reported being affected by a current addictive disorder of a relative (cFMA), with a further 4.5% (95% CI = 4.2-4.9) reported having been affected by the addictive disorders of a relative in the past but not within the last 12 months (pFMA). Most FMAs reported having been affected by disorders due to alcohol, followed by cannabis and other drugs. Compared with life-time non-FMAs, FMAs reported significantly (P < 0.001) higher odds ratios for depression (cFM = 2.437; 95% CI = 2.082-2.853; pFMA = 1.850; 95% CI = 1.519-2.253) and ill-health (cFMA = 1.574; 95% CI = 1.374-1.805; pFMA = 1.297; 95% CI = 1.082-1.555).

CONCLUSIONS

In Germany, family members affected by addictive disorder are a substantial group within the general population. This group is characterized by ill-health and has not yet been adequately addressed by the addiction treatment system.

Changes in sports gambling behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada

Sports betting is one of the most popular forms of gambling in Canada; recent prevalence estimates indicate that 7.9% of Canadian adults endorsed gambling on sports in the past year. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic led to the temporary closure of most major sports leagues worldwide beginning in March of 2020. These sudden closures created a dramatic decrease in the availability of sports betting opportunities in the early stages of the pandemic, followed by a subsequent increase in availability as most sport leagues returned during the summer of 2020. Using a retrospective self-report measure of gambling participation, the present study investigated how the gambling behaviors of N = 85 past-year sports gamblers changed over the course of the pandemic. It was hypothesized that sports gamblers would report an initial decrease in gambling behaviors from pre-pandemic baseline levels to the early stages of the pandemic in May of 2020 when the availability of sports gambling was heavily restricted, followed by an increase in gambling behaviors from May to August, in accordance with the re-emergence of live sporting events. The general pattern of results supported the hypotheses, though gambling behaviors did not completely return to baseline levels. Beyond quantifying the changes in gambling behaviors over the early stages of the pandemic in Canada, results may have implications regarding the utility of voluntary gambling exclusion programs as well as legislation concerning gambling access.

The intergenerational transmission of gambling and other addictive behaviors: Implications of the mediating effects of cross-addiction frequency and problems

INTRODUCTION

This study examined the degree to which perceptions of familial and household participation in gambling and other addictive behaviors in youth was associated with frequency and problem severity of gambling, alcohol and/or drug use in participants as adults.

METHOD

The study measured perceived frequency of gambling, alcohol use, drug use and other potentially addictive behaviors in family/household members and the frequency and problem severity of gambling, alcohol, and drugs in an epidemiological sample of adults 18 and older (N = 3,499; m = 48.26 %, f = 51.74 %).

RESULTS

About 23.45 % of participants reported their father gambled when they were a child or adolescent, followed by mother (13.56 %), grandfather (9.73 %), or grandmother (7.83 %). A pathway model demonstrated cross-addiction inter- and intra-generational influences. Gambling by a father, mother or brother; substance use by a sister; and/or engagement in other behaviors by a brother, sister, grandmother or other household member was related to higher frequency of participant gambling (ps < 0.05), and, in turn, to higher levels of gambling, alcohol, and drug use problem severity (ps < 0.05).

DISCUSSION

Findings demonstrate the complex contributions of specific family and household members in the transmission of addictive behaviors. Frequency of gambling, alcohol use, and drug use mediated the relationship of perceived family behavior with and across addictions. In addition, perceptions regarding use of alcohol and/or other drugs, or engagement in other behaviors by family or household members was related not only to participants' alcohol and drug use but also to problem gambling frequency and severity.

Gambling-related harms to concerned significant others: A national Australian prevalence study

Background and aims

Gambling-related harm to concerned significant others (CSOs) is an important public health issue since it reduces CSOs' health and wellbeing in numerous life domains. This study aimed to 1) estimate the first national prevalence of CSOs harmed by gambling in Australia; 2) identify the characteristics of CSOs most at risk of harm from another person's gambling; 3) compare the types and number of harms experienced by CSOs based on their relationship to the person who gambles; and 4) compare the number of harms experienced by CSOs by self-identified gender.

Methods

Based on a national CATI survey weighted to population norms, 11,560 respondents reported whether they had been personally and negatively affected by another person's gambling in the past 12 months; and if so, answered detailed questions about the harms experienced from the person's gambling who had harmed them the most.

Results

Past-year prevalence of gambling-related harm to adult Australian CSOs was (6.0%; 95% CI 5.6%-6.5%). CSOs most commonly reported emotional harms, followed by relationship, financial, health and vocational harms, respectively. Former partners reported the most harm, followed by current partners, other family members and non-family members, respectively. Female CSOs were more likely to report more harm and being harmed by a partner or other family member, and male CSOs from a non-family member.

Discussion and conclusions

The findings provide new insights into the wider societal burden of gambling and inform measures aimed at reducing harm to CSOs from gambling and supporting them to seek help.