Prevalence of Problem Gambling Among Women Using Shelter and Drop-in Services

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Abstract

People experiencing poverty/homelessness have higher rates of problematic gambling than the general population. Yet, research on gambling among this population is sparse, notably among women. This study examined prevalence of problematic gambling among women using shelter and drop-in services in Ontario, Canada. The NORC Diagnostic Screen for Disorders was administered to women during visits to 15 sites using time/location methodology. Within a sample of 162 women, the prevalence of at-risk (6.2%), problem (9.3%), and pathological gambling (19.1%) was higher than the general population. Among women who scored at-risk or higher, 55.4% met criteria for pathological gambling. The findings suggest that women seeking shelter and drop-in services are vulnerable to problematic gambling. Creating awareness of this vulnerability within the shelter and drop-in service sector is an important first step to support women with gambling problems who face financial and housing precarity.

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Most cited references 54

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Approaches to Recruiting 'hard-To-Reach'Populations into Re-search: A Review of the Literature

Shaghaghi,Abdolreza, S Bhopal,Raj, Sheikh,Aziz (2011)

Background: ‘Hard-to-reach’ is a term used to describe those sub-groups of the population that may be difficult to reach or involve in research or public health programmes. Application of a single term to call these sub-sections of populations implies a homogeneity within distinct groups, which does not necessarily exist. Different sampling techniques were introduced so far to recruit hard-to-reach populations. In this article, we have reviewed a range of ap¬proaches that have been used to widen participation in studies. Methods: We performed a Pubmed and Google search for relevant English language articles using the keywords and phrases: (hard-to-reach AND population* OR sampl*), (hidden AND population* OR sample*) and (“hard to reach” AND population* OR sample*) and a consul-tation of the retrieved articles’ bibliographies to extract empirical evidence from publications that discussed or examined the use of sampling techniques to recruit hidden or hard-to-reach populations in health studies. Results: Reviewing the literature has identified a range of techniques to recruit hard-to-reach populations, including snowball sampling, respondent-driven sampling (RDS), indigenous field worker sampling (IFWS), facility-based sampling (FBS), targeted sampling (TS), time-location (space) sampling (TLS), conventional cluster sampling (CCS) and capture re-capture sampling (CR). Conclusion: The degree of compliance with a study by a certain ‘hard-to-reach’ group de-pends on the characteristics of that group, recruitment technique used and the subject of inter-est. Irrespective of potential advantages or limitations of the recruitment techniques reviewed, their successful use depends mainly upon our knowledge about specific characteristics of the target populations. Thus in line with attempts to expand the current boundaries of our know-ledge about recruitment techniques in health studies and their applications in varying situa-tions, we should also focus on possibly all contributing factors which may have an impact on participation rate within a defined population group. Health Promotion Perspectives; ISSN: 2228-6497

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Gender-related differences in the characteristics of problem gamblers using a gambling helpline.

M N Potenza, M A Steinberg, S D McLaughlin … (2001)

The characteristics of male and female gamblers utilizing a gambling helpline were examined to identify gender-related differences. The authors performed logistic regression analyses on data obtained in 1998-1999 from callers to a gambling helpline serving southern New England. Of the 562 phone calls used in the analyses, 349 (62.1%) were from male callers and 213 (37.9%) from female callers. Gender-related differences were observed in reported patterns of gambling, gambling-related problems, borrowing and indebtedness, legal problems, suicidality, and treatment for mental health and gambling problems. Male gamblers were more likely than female gamblers to report problems with strategic or "face-to-face" forms of gambling, e.g., blackjack or poker. Female gamblers were more likely to report problems with nonstrategic, less interpersonally interactive forms of gambling, e.g., slot machines or bingo. Female gamblers were more likely to report receiving nongambling-related mental health treatment. Male gamblers were more likely to report a drug problem or an arrest related to gambling. High rates of debt and psychiatric symptoms related to gambling, including anxiety and depression, were observed in both groups. Individuals with gambling disorders have gender-related differences in underlying motivations to gamble and in problems generated by excessive gambling. Different strategies may be necessary to maximize treatment efficacy for men and for women with gambling problems.

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Risk Factors for Gambling Problems: An Analysis by Gender

Nerilee Hing, Alex M. T. Russell, Barry Tolchard … (2015)

Differences in problem gambling rates between males and females suggest that associated risk factors vary by gender. Previous combined analyses of male and female gambling may have obscured these distinctions. This study aimed to develop separate risk factor models for gambling problems for males and for females, and identify gender-based similarities and differences. It analysed data from the largest prevalence study in Victoria Australia (N = 15,000). Analyses determined factors differentiating non-problem from at-risk gamblers separately for women and men, then compared genders using interaction terms. Separate multivariate analyses determined significant results when controlling for all others. Variables included demographics, gambling behaviour, gambling motivations, money management, and mental and physical health. Significant predictors of at-risk status amongst female gamblers included: 18–24 years old, not speaking English at home, living in a group household, unemployed or not in the workforce, gambling on private betting, electronic gaming machines (EGMs), scratch tickets or bingo, and gambling for reasons other than social reasons, to win money or for general entertainment. For males, risk factors included: 18–24 years old, not speaking English at home, low education, living in a group household, unemployed or not in the workforce, gambling on EGMs, table games, races, sports or lotteries, and gambling for reasons other than social reasons, to win money or for general entertainment. High risk groups requiring appropriate interventions comprise young adults, especially males; middle-aged female EGM gamblers; non-English speaking populations; frequent EGM, table games, race and sports gamblers; and gamblers motivated by escape.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Flora I. Matheson:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0965-1048

flora.matheson@unityhealth.to

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Int J Ment Health Addict

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Int J Ment Health Addict

Title: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction

Publisher: Springer US (New York )

ISSN (Print): 1557-1874

ISSN (Electronic): 1557-1882

Publication date (Electronic): 15 March 2021

Publication date PMC-release: 15 March 2021

Publication date (Print): 2022

Volume: 20

Issue: 4

Pages: 2436-2447

Affiliations

[1 ]GRID grid.415502.7, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, , St. Michael’s Hospital, ; 30 Bond Street, Toronto, Ontario M5B1W8 Canada

[2 ]GRID grid.17063.33, ISNI 0000 0001 2157 2938, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Centre for Criminology and Socio-legal Studies, , University of Toronto, ; Toronto, Ontario Canada

[3 ]GRID grid.266820.8, ISNI 0000 0004 0402 6152, Department of Social Science, , University of New Brunswick, ; 100 Tucker Park Rd., PO Box 5050, Saint John, E2L 4L5 Canada

[4 ]GRID grid.17063.33, ISNI 0000 0001 2157 2938, The Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, , University of Toronto, ; 144 College St, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3M2 Canada

Author information

Flora I. Matheson http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0965-1048

Article

Publisher ID: 524

DOI: 10.1007/s11469-021-00524-z

PMC ID: 9365744

SO-VID: fb8e422d-33a1-4949-9add-fd2ae4672e2e

License:

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

History

Date accepted : 2 March 2021

Funding

Funded by: FundRef http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000155, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada;

Award ID: 435-2017-0716

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ScienceOpen disciplines: Health & Social care

Keywords: gambling,poverty,homelessness,shelter and drop-in services,women,prevalence

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ScienceOpen disciplines: Health & Social care

Keywords: gambling, poverty, homelessness, shelter and drop-in services, women, prevalence

Prevalence of Problem Gambling Among Women Using Shelter and Drop-in Services

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UCL: UN SDG 05 Gender Equality

Most cited references 54

Approaches to Recruiting 'hard-To-Reach'Populations into Re-search: A Review of the Literature

Gender-related differences in the characteristics of problem gamblers using a gambling helpline.

Risk Factors for Gambling Problems: An Analysis by Gender

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