Female frequent Internet gamblers: a qualitative study investigating the role of family, social situation and work

Abstract

The study undertaken was a qualitative study of 25 females in the UK who gambled at least twice a week on the Internet. Volunteers were recruited from a wide range of sources. The sample included 16 problem gamblers (PGs) and nine frequent gamblers. Most of the women spent considerable periods at home and Internet gambling was something to do that was fun and where they could chat to others. The majority of PGs were initially motivated to gamble by the winnings but they soon found that it was a way in which they could temporarily escape from their problems. Problem Internet gamblers indicated the damaging impact on the lives including family relationships and finances. The long hours spent gambling meant that sometimes the quality of their work suffered but no one had lost their job. After disclosure, family members were nearly all supportive, both emotionally and practically. However, it is difficult to predict longer term consequences especially if the gamblers relapse or develop more chronic difficulties.

Se realizo un estudio cualitativo con 25 mujeres en el Reino Unido las cuales hacen apuestas en Internet dos veces por semana como minimo. Las participantes fueron reclutadas de una variedad de sitios. El grupo estudiado incluyó 16 jugadoras con problema de juego y 9 jugadores habituales. La mayoría de las mujeres pasaba mucho tiempo en sus casas y el juego en Internet era una distraccion divertida, además de ser un sitio donde conversar con otras personas. La mayoría de las participantes que tiene un problema con el juego dijeron que su motivacion inicial era ganar dinero, pero poco desue se dieron cuenta que tambien era un metodo para escaper temporalmente de sus problemas. Las participantes con un problema de juego indiaron que las apuestas en Internet impactaron negativamente en sus vidas, afectando sus relaciones familiaries y finanzas personales. El prolongado tiempo dedicado a las apuestas afecto la calidad de su trabajo aunque ningún participante perdido su empleo. Después de revelar el problema a miembros de la familia, estos dieron soporte emocional y practico. Sin embargo, es difícil predecir las consecuencias a largo plazo, especialmente considerando que los jugadores podrian recaer o desenvolupar dificultades cronicas con el juego.

Keywords:

• women
• gambling
• Internet
• family
• help-seeking
• depression

Palabras claves:

• mujeres
• juego
• Internet
• familia
• de búsqueda de ayuda
• depresión

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Responsible Gambling Fund (RGF). We wish to thank RGF for their help throughout the stages of the project. Thanks are due to the various organisations that helped in the recruitment of participants, including GamCare, Gamblers Anonymous, Gordon House and Count Me Out. We are particularly grateful to all the participants in the study who were willing to share their stories and experiences with us. We wish them well.