Perceived religious support for problem gambling: does church doctrine influence help-seeking?

Abstract

This project explored church members’ willingness to use religious resources to overcome a gambling problem. Participants from congregations with divergent doctrine on gambling (Roman Catholic, n = 156; Southern Baptist, n = 93) were randomly assigned to imagine having gambling or depression problems. Expected religious support and the likelihood of asking for help were evaluated using analysis of variance. Church doctrine on gambling did not relate with anticipated social support or likelihood of seeking help. Most participants expected support from church, and were willing to seek help from church members. Southern Baptists, compared to Catholics, did expect more forgiveness. Participants in the gambling condition, compared to the depression condition, expected more judgement. Individuals in the gambling condition, compared to the depression condition, were more likely to seek help from church resources. These findings suggest that religious individuals view gambling as a moral problem, and that the church will be seen as a treatment resource.

Keywords:

• gambling
• religion
• social support
• denomination
• forgiveness

Acknowledgement

The author's would like to thank the clergy who assisted in this project, both in allowing data collection to occur at their churches, and also in encouraging participation from their membership. Without their help, this project would not have been possible. The author's would also like to thank Drs. Burt Fulmer and Steve Haynes for their helpful feedback. Their expertise and recommendations improved this study in its design and findings.