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International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
Published in: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction 2/2015

01-04-2015

A Grounded Theory of the Influence of Significant Life Events, Psychological co-Morbidities and Related Social Factors on Gambling Involvement

Authors: Louise Holdsworth, Elaine Nuske, Nerilee Hing

Published in: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction | Issue 2/2015

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Abstract

This study aimed to explore how gambling involvement and gambling-related problems may be affected by significant life events, psychological co-morbidities and related social factors. Twenty recreational gamblers and 20 people experiencing gambling problems were interviewed, with reflective first-person accounts being analysed to develop a grounded theory. While both groups had experienced various significant life events and psychological co-morbidity, they coped with such events in different ways. The problem gambling group was found to increase their gambling involvement, unlike the recreational gambling group. In contrast to the problem gambling group, most recreational gamblers had strong social support networks and a resilience that helped them cope with significant life events and co-morbidities. A major finding of this study is the importance of resilience and social support when coping with adversity as protective factors against gambling problems. A grounded theory framework is presented as a basis for further research in this area.
Footnotes
1
The PGSI is the accepted problem gambling measure in Australia and has good reliability and validity. It consists of 9 questions with response categories of ‘never’ =0, ‘sometimes’ =1, ‘most of the time’ =2, ‘almost always’ =3. Scores are summed for a total between 0 and 27. Cut-off scores are 0 for non-problem gambler, 1–2 for low risk gambler, 3–7 for moderate risk gambler and 8+ for problem gambler (Ferris and Wynne 2001).
 
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Metadata
Title
A Grounded Theory of the Influence of Significant Life Events, Psychological co-Morbidities and Related Social Factors on Gambling Involvement
Authors
Louise Holdsworth
Elaine Nuske
Nerilee Hing
Publication date
01-04-2015
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction / Issue 2/2015
Print ISSN: 1557-1874
Electronic ISSN: 1557-1882
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-014-9527-9

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