Abstract
In Piedmont (northwestern Italy), as in the rest of the Western world, only a small percentage of the estimated problem gamblers (10–20%) turn to a treatment service to overcome their addiction issues. The study sought to gain a better understanding of the cultural factors that stand in the way of seeking help, thorough qualitative in-depth individual interviews with gamblers both in and out of treatment. A total of 30 interviews were conducted in three different health districts, most via video-call. Data were then analyzed using an abductive approach. The findings appear to indicate that the processes of stigma affecting problem gamblers and public gambling treatment services are the main barriers to seeking help. According to the interviewees, awareness of the problem is a necessary but not sufficient motivator for embarking on treatment, since social stigmatization leads them to hide the problem. Moreover, self-stigmatization processes seem to undermine the sense of self-efficacy that plays a key role in recovery. To encourage help-seeking, the study thus suggests that priority should be given to efforts to reduce stigma, i.e., through informational and educational measures together with advocacy interventions, which aim primarily to reframe the gambling problem, shifting responsibility from the individual to the collective level.
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Data Availability
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Notes
Quotations are accompanied by a string indicating the number of the interview in the data set, gender (M/F), age and position in relation to the public addiction service (E = external vs. I = internal).
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank Vilma Buttolo and Paolo Jarre (ASL TO3) for supporting the research group, and all the professionals working in the Addiction Departments who collaborated in the interviewees recruitment: Simona Dutto (ASL CN1) Pierpaola Manassero (ASL CN1), Patrizia Morandi (VCO), Enrica Zanetto (ASL TO4). We also thank the interviewers, Valentina Fida, Marialuisa Matera, Francesca Paracchini, for their valuable field work. Last but least our special thanks go to the people who made the study possible by agreeing to be interviewed and share their stories with us.
Funding
This study is included in the local Addiction Plan financed with funds from the 2019–2020 budget assigned by the Piedmont Region to the Addiction Department of ASL TO3. The assignment was entrusted to Eclectica s.n.c. with Resolution of the General Manager No. 1217 of 11/08/2020 for proven specific experiences in sociological research on gambling.
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The research protocol was approved by the San Luigi Gonzaga Intercompany Ethics Committee, established at the San Luigi Gonzaga University Hospital in Orbassano in the session of November the 5th, 2020, file no. 180/2020.
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Rolando, S., Ferrari, C. & Beccaria, F. “To me, it was Just a Vice”. Stigma and Other Barriers to Gambling Treatment in Piedmont, Italy. J Gambl Stud 39, 1909–1925 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-023-10214-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-023-10214-1