A big hole with the wind blowing through it: Aboriginal women's experiences of trauma and problem gambling

Abstract

Although studies have shown a link between social trauma and problem gambling (PG), there is little research involving Aboriginal women in this area, despite Aboriginal women being potentially at higher risk for both social trauma and problem gambling. This article describes the results of a qualitative phenomenology study asking seven Aboriginal women living in Western Canada to describe their experiences of social trauma and gambling problems. Results suggest four main themes, describing: (1) the Aboriginal women's experiences of social trauma (‘the three tigers’); (2) their use of gambling to cope with these experiences (‘a big hole with the wind blowing through it’); (3) their experience of problem gambling (‘I'm somebody today’); and (4) their process of healing from social trauma and gambling problems (‘a letter to John’). Participants described what they felt was a clear link between social trauma and problems with gambling, and how gambling helped to change their mood and block out the past. The results raise the possibility that Aboriginal women with gambling problems may need support to heal from social trauma – including racism and colonization – and that upstream initiatives to reduce the incidence of social traumas may be an important response to problem gambling among Aboriginal women.

Keywords:

• Aboriginal
• social trauma
• abuse
• problem gambling
• qualitative research

Funding

This research was supported by a research grant awarded through the Alberta Gaming Research Institute, through a competitive research grant process.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Brad Hagen

Brad Hagen is an Associate Professor, Registered Nurse and a Registered Psychologist at the Faculty of Health Sciences, at the University of Lethbridge. His research interests include mental health issues, addictions, problem gambling, use of psychotropic medications, and recovery from mental health and addictions issues.

Ruth Grant Kalishuk

Ruth Grant Kalischuk is a Professor of Nursing in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Lethbridge. She teaches in both undergraduate and graduate programmes. Her research interests include: health and healing, gambling-related research, health and the environment, women's health, and end-of-life care.

Cheryl Currie

Cheryl Currie's research is oriented toward the social, economic and cultural forces that shape public health in Canada with a particular focus on Aboriginal health, addiction psychiatry, stress biology, community engagement and healthy public policy.

Jason Solowoniuk

Jason Solowoniuk teaches and conducts research at the University of Lethbridge, within the Health Sciences Faculty. He also works as a counselling psychotherapist utilizing transpersonal and nondual psychotherapeutic techniques toward transforming addiction and mental health disorders.

Gary Nixon

Gary Nixon is an Associate Professor and Director of the Addictions Counselling Program at the University of Lethbridge. He specializes in nondual transpersonal approaches to psychology and psychotherapy. He has completed extensive phenomenological hermeneutics research on the process of addiction and recovery, as well as the transformation of psychosis.