Perceived stigma and self-stigma of problem gambling: perspectives of people with gambling problems

Open-access article.

Minimal research has investigated the stigma associated with problem gambling, despite its major hindrance to help-seeking and recovery. This study explored perceived stigma and self-stigma to examine stigmatizing beliefs held, how they may be internalized, coping mechanisms, and effects on help-seeking. In-depth interviews with 44 people experiencing gambling problems were analysed using interpretive phenomenology. Results revealed an overwhelming perception that problem gambling attracts acute public stigma and is publicly viewed as caused by personal failings. Participants had serious concerns about being viewed as ‘a problem gambler’, fearing demeaning stereotypes, social rejection, hostile responses and devaluing behaviours.

Source: Hing, N., Nuske, E., Gainsbury, S. M., & Russell, A. M. T. (2015). Perceived stigma and self-stigma of problem gambling: perspectives of people with gambling problems. International Gambling Studies, 0(0), 1–18. http://doi.org/10.1080/14459795.2015.1092566

Patriot games: the regulation of online gambling in the European Union

The recent economic crisis has brought into focus how even open and highly interdependent economies in the European Union try to govern their economies according to territorially defined interests. The aim of this article is to examine an area, online gambling, with the technological and legal conditions that challenge approaches that favour economic patriotism. The article compares two cases, the United Kingdom and Italy, that represent two different models of economic governance to argue that they are similar in which interests they seek to protect and at which level.

Source: Laffey, D., Sala, V. D., & Laffey, K. (2015). Patriot games: the regulation of online gambling in the European Union. Journal of European Public Policy, 0(0), 1–17. http://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2015.1105281

The efficacy of a web-based gambling intervention program for high school students: A preliminary randomized study

Early onset in adolescent gambling involvement can be a precipitator of later gambling problems. The aim of the present study was to test the preliminary efficacy of a web-based gambling intervention program for students within a high school-based setting. Students attending a high school in Italy (N = 168) participated in the present study (58% male – age, M = 15.01; SD = 0.60). Twelve classes were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: intervention (N = 6; 95 students) and control group (N = 6; 73 students). Both groups received personalized feedback and then the intervention group received online training (interactive activities) for three weeks. At a two-month follow-up, students in the intervention group reported a reduction in gambling problems relative to those in the control group. However, there were no differences in gambling frequency, gambling expenditure, and attitudes toward the profitability of gambling between the two groups…

Source: Canale, N., Vieno, A., Griffiths, M. D., Marino, C., Chieco, F., Disperati, F., … Santinello, M. (2016). The efficacy of a web-based gambling intervention program for high school students: A preliminary randomized study. Computers in Human Behavior, 55, Part B, 946–954. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.10.012

Problematic gambling in deaf and hearing-impaired young people in Sweden

Problematic gambling is a public health problem. Deaf and hearing-impaired young people are a high-risk group regarding health and lifestyles. There are indications that young people with disabilities gamble to a greater extent than adolescents without disabilities. Whether this applies specifically to the group deaf and hearing-impaired adolescents is a knowledge gap. This pilot study aims to investigate the prevalence and type of gambling problems in deaf students (16–19 years old) and to identify the group’s risk and protective factors for problematic gambling.

Source: Fröding, K., Geidne, S., & Larsson, M. (2015). Problematic gambling in deaf and hearing-impaired young people in Sweden. The European Journal of Public Health, 25(suppl 3), ckv175.104. http://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckv175.104

Is all Internet gambling equally problematic? Considering the relationship between mode of access and gambling problems

Concerns exist that Internet gambling may increase rates of gambling harms, yet research to date has found inconsistent results. Internet gamblers are a heterogeneous group and considering this population as a whole may miss important differences between gamblers. The differential relationship of using mobile and other devices for gambling online has not been considered as compared to the use of computers. The true relationship of Internet gambling on related problems and differences between preferred modes for accessing online gambling may be obscured by confounding personal and behavioural factors. This paper thus uses the innovative approach of propensity score matching to estimate the consequence of gambling offline, or online through a computer, as compared to mobile or other supplementary devices by accounting for confounding effects of difference among groups of Australian gamblers…

Source: Gainsbury, S., Liu, Y., Russell, A. M. T., & Teichert, T. (2016). Is all Internet gambling equally problematic? Considering the relationship between mode of access and gambling problems. Computers in Human Behavior, 55, Part B, 717–728. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.10.006

Defining the “Defined”—Problem Gambling, Pathological Gambling, and Gambling Disorder: Impact on Policy and Legislation

Link below to PDF.

This paper highlights the shifts in regulatory priorities and identifies that, with the emergence of more complicated methods of gambling and related activities, coupled with an affluent health policy sphere (vis-à-vis with respect to mental health and disability law), and consumer protection laws, regulation of gambling providers has become a logistical nightmare for both problem gamblers and providers alike. Drawing on cross-disciplinary intercepts between law and psychology, this paper highlights the deficiencies and strengths that exist in an attempt to classify pathological gambling, and the recently renamed gambling disorder, as a disability. At present, this intercept is underrepresented in research, and yet is paramount for the purpose of legislative and policy development.

Hinchliffe, S. A. (2015). Defining the ‘Defined’—Problem Gambling, Pathological Gambling, and Gambling Disorder: Impact on Policy and Legislation. Barry Law Review, 20(2), 6.

Gender Differences in Felt Stigma and Barriers to Help-Seeking for Problem Gambling

Background: Men and women differ in their patterns of help-seeking for health and social problems. For people experiencing problem gambling, feelings of stigma may affect if and when they reach out for help. In this study we examine men’s and women’s perceptions of felt stigma in relation to help-seeking for problematic gambling.

Methods: Using Concept Mapping, we engaged ten men and eighteen women in group activities. We asked men and women about their perceptions of the pleasurable aspects and negative consequences of gambling; they generated a list of four hundred and sixteen statements. These statements were parsed for duplication and for relevance to the study focal question and reduced to seventy-three statements by the research team. We then asked participants to rate their perceptions of how much felt stigma (negative impact on one’s own or family’s reputation) inferred with help-seeking for gambling. We analyzed the data using a gender lens…

Source: Baxter, A., Salmon, C., Dufrense, K., Carasco-Lee, A., & Matheson, F. I. (n.d.). Gender Differences in Felt Stigma and Barriers to Help-Seeking for Problem Gambling. Addictive Behaviors Reports. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2015.10.001

Skewed by Cues? The Motivational Role of Audiovisual Stimuli in Modelling Substance Use and Gambling Disorders.

The similarity between gambling disorder (GD) and drug addiction has recently been recognized at the diagnostic level. Understanding the core cognitive processes involved in these addiction disorders, and in turn their neurobiological mechanisms, remains a research priority due to the enormous benefits such knowledge would have in enabling effective treatment design. Animal models can be highly informative in this regard. Although numerous rodent behavioural paradigms that capture different facets of gambling-like behaviour have recently been developed, the motivational power of cues in biasing individuals towards risky choice has so far received little attention despite the central role played by drug-paired cues in successful laboratory models of chemical dependency. Here, we review some of the comparatively simple paradigms in which reward-paired cues are known to modulate behaviour in rodents, such as sign-tracking, Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer and conditioned reinforcement.

Source: Mm, B., M, C., & Ca, W. (2015). Skewed by Cues? The Motivational Role of Audiovisual Stimuli in Modelling Substance Use and Gambling Disorders. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences.

Temptation and prevention provided by the gambling industry: Main and interactive effects on gamblers

Our study investigates the effects of pro versus anti-gambling messages funded by the gambling industry. Paradoxically, our results show that anti-gambling ads funded by the gambling industry enhance gambling intent as do pro-gambling ads. We propose some suggestions related to the ways this finding should guide public policies.

Source: Lemarié, L., & Chebat, J.-C. (2015). Temptation and prevention provided by the gambling industry: Main and interactive effects on gamblers. Recherche et Applications En Marketing (English Edition). http://doi.org/10.1177/2051570715604319

Impulsivity Predictors of Problem Gambling and Impaired Control

Previous studies of the relationship between impulsivity and problem gambling have produced inconsistent results due to sampling issues and the measures utilised. The current study assessed five facets of impulsivity as predictors of both gambling impaired control and problem gambling in a random sample of 309 regular EGM players. The measures included the UPPS-P for impulsivity, the PGSI for problem gambling and the impaired control scale from the SLUGS. This sample comprised 173 women (56 %) with a mean age of 59.15 years and 146 men with a mean age of 57.18 years. Results revealed that lack of perseverance was not a predictor of either gambling measure and that negative urgency was the strongest predictor of both impaired control and problem gambling…

Source: Haw, J. (2015). Impulsivity Predictors of Problem Gambling and Impaired Control. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 1–12. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-015-9603-9