Baby boomers as gamblers: recognizing and preventing gambling harm with intersectional approach

Heiskanen, Maria; Matilainen, Riitta

doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2020.04.020

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…While the accessibility and availability of EGM venues has been shown to be a key motivator for older adults' EGM gambling (Pitt et al, 2021), and may reduce the perceived risks associated with these products (McCarthy et al, 2021), this study demonstrates that older adults engage with many different gambling products across contexts. The findings demonstrate the importance of research that considers how individuals interact with gambling structures, cultures, and environments (Heiskanen and Matilainen, 2020), and how these interactions evolve over time. Among other things, this highlights that risk is not static, and there is a need to monitor how older adults engage with different gambling environments, products, and promotions as industry strategies evolve over time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Older adults' perceptions of the risks associated with contemporary gambling environments: Implications for public health policy and practice

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IntroductionRapid changes in the Australian gambling environment have amplified the risks for gamblers and pose significant threats to public health. Technological advances, saturation of marketing, and the embedding of gambling in sport have all contributed to significant changes in the gambling risk environment. Older adults have witnessed the changes to the way gambling is provided and promoted in public spaces, but little is known about how these changes have shaped the way they conceptualize the risks associated with gambling.MethodGuided by critical qualitative inquiry, semi structured interviews were conducted with 40 Australian adults aged 55 years and older, who had gambled at least once in the last 12 months. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to interpret the data.ResultsParticipants discussed gambling environments in Australia and how they had changed through the proliferation of gambling products, environments, and opportunities; the risks posed through the embedding of gambling in community and media environments; the role of technology in gambling environments; and the role of marketing and promotions in the changing gambling environments. Participants recognized that these factors had contributed to gambling environments becoming increasingly risky over time. However, despite the perception of increased risk, many participants had engaged with new gambling technologies, products, and environments.DiscussionThis research supports the adoption of public health responses that include consideration of the environmental, commercial, and political factors that may contribute to risky gambling environments.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Older adults' perceptions of the risks associated with contemporary gambling environments: Implications for public health policy and practice

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Two studies explicitly discussed risk factors for gambling-related harm in older people [ 99 , 100 ]. Heiskanen and Matilainen (2020) argue that significant historical changes to the nature of gambling from being for ‘a good cause’, like church raffles, to the current context of commercial gambling must be considered when viewing gambling-related harm in older people.…”

Section: Q3 What Is Known About the Risk And Protective Factors For G...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Risk and protective factors for gambling-related harm are similar to other public health issues like alcohol, tobacco, physical activity, obesity, and blood borne viruses. Evidence outlines strong associations between sociodemographic characteristics and increasing gambling severity and levels of gambling-related harm [94][95][96][97][98][99][100][101][102][103][104][105]. Specific sociodemographic factors were identified across numerous studies and include a mix of risk and protective factors such as increased educational attainment [106][107][108][109][110][111], relative deprivation [112][113][114], parental engagement and role modelling [115][116][117][118][119][120][121][122][123][124], peer group behaviour [125], and location of residence relative to numbers of gambling venues [126,127].…”

Section: Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

What is known about population level programs designed to address gambling-related harm: rapid review of the evidence

Clune,

Ratnaike,

White

et al. 2024

Harm Reduct J

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Gambling and gambling-related harm attract significant researcher and policy attention. The liberalisation of gambling in most western countries is strongly associated with a marked rise in gambling activity and increases in gambling-related harm experienced at the population level. Programs to address gambling-related harm have traditionally focused on individuals who demonstrate problematic gambling behaviour, despite clear evidence of the effectiveness of a public health approach to high-risk activities like gambling. Little is known about the availability or efficacy of programs to address gambling-related harm at a population level. Methods The Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation commissioned a rapid evidence review of the available evidence on programs designed to reduce gambling-related harm at a population level. The review was conducted using a public health and harm reduction lens. MEDLINE, ProQuest Central and PsychInfo databases were searched systematically. Included studies were published in English between 2017 – 2023 from all countries with gambling policy contexts and public health systems comparable to Australia’s; included primary data; and focused on primary and/or secondary prevention of gambling-related harm or problems. Results One hundred and sixty-seven articles were eligible for inclusion. Themes identified in the literature included: risk and protective factors; primary prevention; secondary prevention; tertiary prevention; target population group; and public health approach. The evidence review revealed a gap in empirical evidence around effective interventions to reduce gambling-related harm at the population level, particularly from a public health perspective. Conclusions Addressing gambling-related harm requires a nuanced, multi-layered approach that acknowledges the complex social, environmental, and commercial nature of gambling and associated harms. Moreover, evidence demonstrates community programs to reduce gambling-related harm are more successful in reducing harm when based on sound theory of co-design and address the social aspects that contribute to harm.

show abstract

“…Anderson et al 60 reported that seniors who gambled experienced arguments, broken relationships, anxiety, debt, exhausted pensions or savings, and shame. Heiskanen and Matilainen 61 found that gamblers from the generation categorised as 'Baby Boomers' had di culty walking past a machine without gambling, and spent excessive time and money both online and o ine, and some participants reported that they felt unable to 'meddle' in another person's gambling problems, suggesting there may be less peer support within this age group.…”

Section: Agementioning

confidence: 99%

Is There a Health Inequality in Gambling Related Harms? A Systematic Review

Raybould

Larkin

Tunney

2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Here we present a systematic review of the existing research into gambling harms, in order to determine whether there are differences in the presentation of these across demographic groups such as age, gender, culture, and socioeconomic status, or gambling behaviour categories such as risk severity and participation frequency. Primary and Secondary Outcome Measures: Inclusion criteria were: 1) focus on gambling harms; 2) focus on harms to the gambler rather than affected others; 3) discussion of specific listed harms and not just harms in general terms. Exclusion criteria were: 1) research of non-human subjects; 2) not written in English; 3) not an empirical study; 3) not available as a full article.Methods: We conducted a systematic search using the Web of Science and Scopus databases in August 2020. Assessment of quality took place using Standard Quality Assessment Criteria.Results: A total of 59 studies published between 1994 and 2020 met the inclusion criteria. These were categorised into thematic groups for comparison and discussion. There were replicated differences found in groups defined by age, socioeconomic status, education level, ethnicity and culture, risk severity, and gambling behaviours. Conclusion: Harms appear to be dependent on specific social, demographic and environmental conditions that suggests there is a health inequality in gambling related harms. Further investigation is required to develop standardised measurement tools and to understand confounding variables and co-morbidities. With a robust understanding of harms distribution in the population, Primary Care Workers will be better equipped to identify those who are at risk, or who are showing signs of Gambling Disorder, and to target prevention and intervention programmes appropriately.

show abstract

Baby boomers as gamblers: recognizing and preventing gambling harm with intersectional approach

Cited by 6 publications

References 23 publications

Older adults' perceptions of the risks associated with contemporary gambling environments: Implications for public health policy and practice

Older adults' perceptions of the risks associated with contemporary gambling environments: Implications for public health policy and practice

What is known about population level programs designed to address gambling-related harm: rapid review of the evidence

Is There a Health Inequality in Gambling Related Harms? A Systematic Review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About