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Professional Help-Seeking for Gambling Problems: Awareness, Barriers and Motivators for Treatment

Journal of Gambling Studies volume 30, pages 503–519 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

Despite the negative consequences associated with gambling, few problem gamblers seek professional help. This study aimed to examine awareness of professional sources of help and help-seeking behaviour amongst regular and problem gamblers. Australian gamblers (N = 730) were recruited from the general population, multicultural gambling venues, and gambling helplines and treatment services. Surveys measured awareness of professional help services, help-seeking behaviour and motivators and barriers to seeking help. Gamblers demonstrated low awareness of professional help services. Problem gamblers born in Australia or who were divorced were more likely to seek help. Problem gamblers who were reluctant to seek help due to a desire solve the problem on their own and feeling ashamed for themselves or their family pride were more likely to have overcome these barriers to seek help. However, significant barriers related to denial of problem severity and concerns about the ability to access low cost services that cater for multicultural populations predicted a lower likelihood of having sought help. Public education should aim to de-mystify the treatment process and educate gamblers about symptoms of problem gambling to reduce shame, stigma, and denial and encourage help-seeking. Ongoing education and promotion of help services is required to increase awareness of the resources available, including targeted promotions to increase awareness of relevant services among specific populations.

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Notes

  1. Due to potential multicollinearity problems, we did not use all potential variables, however, we made several estimations to achieve the appropriate models in Tables 5 and 6.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their thanks and acknowledge the support of Gambling Research Australia, who provided funding for the research described in this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Gambling Education and Research, Southern Cross University, P.O. Box 157, Lismore, NSW, 2480, Australia

    Sally Gainsbury & Nerilee Hing

  2. Department of Law, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, Yliopistonkatu 2 (Aurora II), 80101, Joensuu, Finland

    Niko Suhonen

Authors
  1. Sally Gainsbury
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  2. Nerilee Hing
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  3. Niko Suhonen
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Correspondence to Sally Gainsbury.

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Gainsbury, S., Hing, N. & Suhonen, N. Professional Help-Seeking for Gambling Problems: Awareness, Barriers and Motivators for Treatment. J Gambl Stud 30, 503–519 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-013-9373-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-013-9373-x

Keywords

  • Problem gambling
  • Treatment
  • Help-seeking
  • Motivators
  • Barriers
  • Pathological gambling