Beyond description: Understanding gender differences in problem gambling

Abstract

Background and aims: Though women make up roughly one third of all problem gamblers, research has typically focused on male problem gamblers. Recent research has started to shift its attention toward the importance of gender. However, studies rarely attempt to understand gender differences in problem gambling or subject these differences to thorough multivariate analyses. To address some of the gaps in our knowledge of gender differences, we examine whether patterns of gambling behavior and psychological factors mediate the relationship between gender and problem gambling. . Conclusions: Men are more likely to be problem gamblers than women, and this gender difference is understandable in terms of differences in patterns of gambling behavior. We conclude that men experience problems because they play riskier games and women experience problems because they prefer chance-based games, which are associated with significantly higher odds of problem gambling. We specify the three main ways that women's reasons for gambling -to escape or for empowerment -translate into chance-based games.

Recognizing the Two Faces of Gambling: The Lived Experiences of Korean Women Gamblers

“…Instead, the findings of this study supported the findings of gender-specific motivation to gamble from many previous studies [12,14]. Women gamblers in this study used gambling as a way to avoid stress, to relieve boredom, or to escape from feeling lonely.…”

“…Many previous studies have reported that gambling behaviors and gambling etiology appear to be different between men and women problem gamblers [11][12][13][14][15]. No single explanation can be applied to gender differences.…”

“…The choice of gambling type seems to be gender-specific. Stark and colleagues [14] suggested that women problem gamblers may prefer chance/luckbased games, which are more addictive, whereas those of men are likely to be riskier games. Women gambler tend to engage in these games because this simple type of gambling relieves their stress and internal/emotional difficulties, and because they are perceived as offering an equal chance of winning/losing regardless of the player's social status.…”

Gender differences in the associations of gambling activities and suicidal behaviors with problem gambling in a nationally representative French sample

“…However, the internet is changing gambling opportunities rapidly and recent data are needed to investigate the prevalence of internet gambling and the risk associated for both men and women. Finally, gender differences in gambling prevalence have been associated with differences in types of games and patterns of gambling (Potenza et al, 2001;Stark, Zahlan, Albanese, & Tepperman, 2012), suggesting that investigating specific gambling activities may prove critical in understanding gender differences in gambling.…”

The Social and Psychological Impacts of Gambling in the Cree Communities of Northern Québec

“…This result is comparable to other studies in the field (Chevalier 2008;Marshall and Wynne 2003;Afifi et al 2010). On the other hand, some national and provincial studies report that men are more likely to be problem gamblers (Kairouz et al 2011;Stark et al 2012).…”