Strengthening the Service Experiences of Women Impacted by Gambling-related Intimate Partner Violence.

Abstract

BackgroundWhile problem gambling does not directly cause intimate partner violence (IPV), it exacerbates that violence significantly. Women experiencing both gambling harm and IPV often find themselves in challenging situations; furthermore, stigma and shame frequently act as barriers to seeking help from health and social service agencies. Despite the links between problem gambling and IPV, little is known about women’s experiences of using support services for both IPV and gambling related issues. This paper explores positive experiences of help-seeking for gambling-related IPV in Australia by adopting a strengths-based research approach. MethodsQualitative, unstructured interviews were conducted for a larger study exploring the nature of the relationship between problem gambling and IPV. To gain new insights into the service experiences of women impacted by gambling related IPV, interviews with 48 women with lived experience of IPV relating to a male partner's gambling, and 24 women with lived experience of IPV relating to their own gambling were reanalysed using thematic analysis.ResultsThree themes emerged from the data signifying or demonstrating strength-based responses: 'Commitment to Integrated and Collaborative Responses'; 'Therapeutic Support'; and 'Instrumental Support'. The themes highlight the importance of recognising the intersectionality of gambling related IPV and supporting the person 'at the centre of the service'. Tangible and instrumental supports, such as emergency accommodation and financial assistance, were also central to the recovery process. ConclusionEffective service responses are dependent on understanding how problem gambling and IPV intersect. Importantly, service providers must recognise and address the many facets of each woman's situation and the shame associated with resolving interdependent and complex issues. Responding to the needs of women impacted by gambling related IPV requires both individual-level awareness and organisational support; recommendations to strengthen service provision are provided.

Intimate partner violence linked to gambling: Cohort and period effects on the past experiences of older women

“…The widespread availability and promotion of gambling [50][51], and the failure to reduce gambling problems in Australia [52], continue to exacerbate the impacts of IPV for women and their children. Practical support aimed at encouraging women to manage their nances and build self-e cacy can provide a useful mechanism to reduce further gambling-related harm [53][54]. More broadly, policy, regulatory and gambling industry changes are needed to reduce gambling problems and their effects on IPV.…”

An integrative review of research on gambling and domestic and family violence: Fresh perspectives to guide future research

“…In Suomi et al's (2013) study, the 11 interviewees who had perpetrated violence against a family member reported that their violence was fueled by their accumulated anger and mistrust arising from the victim's gambling. However, perpetrators' explanations for their violence are unreliable, since they frequently use victim-blaming and external "causes" to justify their violence (Henning and Holdford, 2006), including blaming the victim's gambling (Browne et al, 2016;Hing et al, 2020;O'Mullan et al, 2022a). Nevertheless, problem gambling undoubtedly has deleterious effects on families.…”

“…Where gambling precedes the violence, these accumulated tensions and emotions may trigger situational violence in direct response to the victim's gambling (Korman et al, 2008;Suomi et al, 2013Suomi et al, , 2019. However, the ANROWS study (Hing et al, 2020(Hing et al, , 2022dO'Mullan et al, 2022a) found that only a minority of the women interviewed first experienced IPV after they started gambling. Further, their subsequent victimization was not always limited to violent incidents that were an immediate response to their gambling, although these continued to occur.…”

“…Recent findings are consistent with this earlier research. In the ANROWS study (Hing et al, 2020(Hing et al, , 2022dO'Mullan et al, 2022a), most women reported frequently experiencing severe and chronic violence from their partner, before they commenced gambling. These women reported gambling to gain physical escape from the violence, or psychological escape to cope with the resultant trauma, in a quest to regain some control over their lives, and to cope with the legacy of past abuse after separating from a violent partner (Hing et al, 2022d).…”

“…In addition, gambling venues can be a refuge for escape, since they often provide highly accessible, comfortable, and female-friendly environments that have good security and long opening hours (Brown and Coventry, 1997;Surgey, 2000;Thomas et al, 2009Thomas et al, , 2011aRintoul et al, 2017;Hing et al, 2017). In the ANROWS study, women escaping IPV reported being attracted to venues because of their social, geographic, and temporal accessibility, allowance for uninterrupted play on EGMs, and the addictive nature of EGMs (Hing et al, 2020(Hing et al, , 2022dO'Mullan et al, 2022a). The push factors that drove these women to try to escape their abuse, and the pull factors that attracted them to gambling venues, led to these women's gambling problem.…”