Gambling-Related Harms for Affected Others: A Finnish Population-Based Survey

Abstract

Aims This study explores the prevalence of being a past-year affected other (AO) of a problem gambler by gender. The aims were to study the amount and type of gambling-related harms (GRHs) for subgroups of AOs and to distinguish GRH profiles for AO subgroups. Methods A total of 7186 adults aged 18 years and over participated in the Gambling Harms Survey evaluating year 2016. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression. Results Of all respondents, 12.9% were defined as past-year AOs (women 13.7%; men 12.1%). The proportion of affected non-family members (ANFs) was 8.4%, and 5.6% were affected family members (AFMs). AFMs were usually women, and ANFs were usually men. Emotional, relationship, and financial harms were the most common types of harm. The odds of experiencing financial harm were highest for the 18- to 34-year-olds (OR 1.82) and for those whose partner/ex-partner had a gambling problem (OR 3.91). Having a parent/step-parent (OR 1.93) and child/stepchild (OR 3.64) increased the odds of experiencing emotional harm, whereas male gender (OR 0.50) and being an ANF (OR 0.58) decreased emotional harm. Relationship harm was evident for partners/ex-partners (OR 1.97–5.07). Conclusions GRH profiles for AO subgroups varied, which emphasizes the need for effective harm minimization strategies for those in need.

Employment Stress and Couple Adjustment among Clients With Disorders of Gambling and Alcohol Use: Themes of Transfers in Congruence Couple Therapy

“…Our findings align with those from a recent population-based problem gambling survey indicating that emotional, relationship, and financial harms were the most common among affected family members represented more by women. 38 Employment problems adding to couple discord increase the psychological load that strains the individual’s adaptive ability. The positive association of increased stress and stressful life events with the development and relapse of alcohol, substance use, and gambling disorders have been reported in numerous studies.…”

Legacy Gambling Harms: What Happens Once the Gambling Stops?

“…Recent work has also measured harm-to-others at the population level. Results indicate that each person with a gambling problem affects up to six others [39], harming 5-11% of the adult population each year [19,33,36,40,41]. Affected others experience severe adverse effects in numerous life domains and have reduced wellbeing, and partners and women report the most harm [1, 19,27,41,42].…”

Trajectories of wellbeing in people who live with gamblers experiencing a gambling problem: An 18-year longitudinal analysis of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey

“…The impacts of gambling-related harm on the health and wellbeing of close family and friends of people who gamble ('close significant others', CSO's) contribute to the public health burden associated with gambling problems [1]. Harm attributable to gambling can extend to CSOs across multiple areas of their lives, with the most commonly experienced being impacts to their psychological, social/relational, and financial wellbeing [2][3][4]. Because an ongoing gambling problem requires substantial financial outlay, financial impacts are the most commonly experienced issue [2,3,5,6].…”

“…Harm attributable to gambling can extend to CSOs across multiple areas of their lives, with the most commonly experienced being impacts to their psychological, social/relational, and financial wellbeing [2][3][4]. Because an ongoing gambling problem requires substantial financial outlay, financial impacts are the most commonly experienced issue [2,3,5,6]. Financial stress is not only associated with a lack of money for bills and essential needs and a reduction in spending money, but also leads to increased stress and conflict within relationships [6].…”

“…For example, they can experience a reduced social life [11,12], become estranged or distanced from family and friends [13], and experience social rejection [14] and isolation [12]. Impacts to psychological wellbeing are commonly associated with CSOs and include emotional or psychological distress [e.g., 3,[15][16][17], anger and feelings of guilt [18], symptoms of anxiety and depression [18][19][20] and lower wellbeing and satisfaction with life [21]. These can then lead to physical health problems such as headaches [18,22,23] and reduced sleep [24,25].…”