A work‐individual‐family inquiry on mental health and family responsibilities of dealers employed in the Macau gaming industry

Abstract

The anxiety, depression and sleep quality levels of a sample of 1124 Macau casino dealers are examined in this study which uses a mixed method study with a work‐individual‐family approach. In total, 113 dealers are interviewed on the impacts of casino employment on their family life. The results of the quantitative analysis shows that over half of the participants (55.4%) have a score that is over the cut‐off point for depression, a quarter (25.8%) are considered to have anxiety, and about two‐thirds (77%) report poor sleep quality. The qualitative analysis results indicate that despite the financial benefits, family responsibilities and dynamics, such as family activities and plans, parental care and guidance, child‐parent interaction and bonding, marital intimacy, communication patterns, and gender roles are negatively affected to some degree by casino employment. Practitioner points Sensitivity towards work‐family conflicts, families‐in‐transition, gender and class can facilitate engagement and intervention with the families of dealers in Macau Gender is a significant predictor of depression and anxiety levels Respondents with a lower income range have lower quality of sleep Absence from family activities, missed opportunities to carry out parental care, reduced marital intimacy and communication with family members are key concerns

A Systemic Review of Couple Therapy Research in Greater China

“…Dienhart (2001) further advocated for work with men in the field of couple and family therapy to include a gender-sensitive approach. In the Greater China context, gender-sensitive practice in couple therapy, with special attention to men, has already been somewhat addressed in Hong Kong (Chan, 2012, 2014, 2017; Chan & Shaw, 2016), Taiwan (Yang, Yeh, & Tung, 2011), Mainland China (Chen, Xiong, Fennie, Wang, & Williams, 2016), and Macau (Chan, 2013, 2017), but this agenda still has a long way to go.…”

East Meets West: Five Decades of Practice Research in Hong Kong

“…The other client group and practice areas to have attracted the most attention in social work practice research in Hong Kong are elderly people and social work training and delivery, respectively. Given the extensive research done in these areas and the body of knowledge accrued, insights into these client groups and practice areas may be a useful reference for other regions in Greater China, especially as the social work profession matures and populations age (Chan, 2018; Chan & Lee, 2013). Practice research is well distributed across a variety of practice areas in the Hong Kong social work research sector.…”

“…It is commonly believed that Hong Kong introduced the concept of social work and social work practices to China (e.g., Chi, 2005). Since 2007, Hong Kong social workers have also engaged in the cross-border supervision of social workers in mainland China (Hung, Ng, & Fung, 2010) and Macau, in areas such as gambling and family studies (Chan, 2013, 2018; Chan, Kwok, & Siu, 2015). This study’s review of past publications on social work practice in Hong Kong provides more insight into the future development of social work in Hong Kong and its role in the region.…”