Problem gambler's friend or family member: sick or
survivor?
An assessment of the effects of problem gambling on the
gambler's family and friends
Mari Pajula. STAKES Working Papers 26/2007.
Abstract
The amount of gambling has increased in Finland and the dark
side of this phenomenon is problem gambling and the other harm
caused by playing for money. This assessment examines the effects
of problem gambling on the gambler's family and friends by
assembling data on the subject matter from Finnish and foreign
sources. Problem gambling may cause harm to the gambler's family
members, relatives, friends or other persons around him or her. It
has been estimated that, on average, one problem gambler affects
the lives of seven other people.
In Finland, this means that approximately 294,000 people are
affected by the harm caused by acute problem gambling. In this
assessment, the number of problem gamblers equals the number of
gamblers who obtained at least five points indicative of the level
of gambling-related harm in a population survey on gambling
(Ministry of Social Affairs and Health 2007). This group of
gamblers is estimated to comprise 42,000 Finnish people.
Problem gambling affects the financial situation of family and
friends, but its effects can also be identified in other areas.
Persons close to the gambler may experience severe health problems,
both physical and mental. In addition to various acute crisis
reactions and short-term depression, they may also suffer from more
long-term problems, including those related to self-respect.
Furthermore, problem gambling often affects family and friends'
social lives vis-à-vis both the gambler and other people. Persons
close to the gambler often find it difficult to trust the gambler,
have feelings of shame and guilt and attempt to hide the problem
from others. They also frequently feel alone with the problem,
which may lead to fatigue. The physical, mental, social and
financial effects may accumulate and cause the threat of
burnout.
The severity of the effects on family and friends with respect
to various aspects can be explained, for instance, using the
proximity of the relationship, the family member's or friend's
degree of financial dependence on the gambler, and the
interpretations and ways of coping applied by the person close to
the gambler. The effects are often more serious within a family or
relationship. Being close to a person with a gambling problem can
be viewed as a process containing different stages during which the
coping strategies, actions and needs of family and friends
vary.
This assessment describes the process through six stages:
unawareness of the problem, exposure of the problem, acute
interference, taking responsibility, solving the situation and
recovery. Taking responsibility is typical of family and friends,
and the most severe effects on the persons close to the gambler are
often related to the prolongation of this stage.
Family and friends have mainly participated in treatment and
support services related to problem gambling by providing support
to the gambler. The potential involved in family and friends
encouraging the problem gambler to seek help has also been
identified. However, the effects on family and friends can also
lead to them needing support. This may vary from consultancy,
supportive discussions, financial support or debt counselling to
the need for therapy or crisis services. The most common service
offered by municipalities to gamblers' families and friends is
guidance and counselling provided on an outpatient basis.
There is room for improvement in the support services provided
to gamblers' families and friends. In the international arena, for
instance, support tools provided to substance abusers' kith and
kin, such as the CRAFT method, have been used as a model for
developing these services. In developing treatment and services,
more attention should be paid to the needs of family members and
friends who sometimes take unreasonable responsibility for the
problem in their daily lives. In this difficult situation, they may
find it distressing and unfair that they are urged to support the
gambler. For this reason, family and friends' need for support, in
addition to that of the gambler, should be taken into account when
evaluating the need for services.
Keywords:
disadvantages of gambling, gambling games, problem gambling,
friends, family |