“EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF GAMBLING ON ELDERLY WOMEN”
C. Rose, R. Williams & G. Nixion University of Lethbridge
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Adapted from the Summary:
Senior women were interviewed in focus groups to gain an
in-depth understanding of their lived experiences with
problem and pathological gambling. In addition they were asked
about their experiences, if any, with treatment for their
problem gambling. The aim was to help design an effective
group intervention for problem/pathological senior women
gamblers.
What They Found:
Several focus groups were held at two senior�s
facilities, as well as two treatment facilities. All of the
participants were 55+ years old. All of the women self-identified as
problem gamblers. Similar to what has been found in
previous research by others, these older women with gambling
problems were identifying that that they felt marginalized, they
had a sense of financial disenfranchisement, and they had
lots of spare time on their hands.
In addition, all the women identified that in addition to
having a problem gambling and they also had another
addiction (in other words, comorbidity).
Their identified addictions were: smoking cigarettes,
alcohol, misuse of prescription medications, and illicit
substances (marijuana, cocaine). Also of significance was that the
majority identified histories of childhood trauma (sexual,
physical and emotional).
In terms of implications for group treatment, all the
women felt that being in women-only groups was of benefit.
Otherwise they would often feel the need to “care take” of
the guys or would be overwhelmed by male participants in
co-ed recovery groups.
The women also identified they needed to learn
self-monitoring skills to avoid the pitfalls of succumbing to resuming
gambling. Of most significant import was the unanimous
request for treatment groups that helped these senior women
resolve their historical trauma.
An article entitled “The At Risk Gambler: Older Adults
Opinions, Perceptions, and Beliefs About Gambling” based on
thevstudy has been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.
