Tucker, Amanda (2006) Problem Gambling: The Health and Social Impact on Partners. Coursework Masters thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
The aim of the present research was to gain a better understanding of the health and social impact of living with a problem gambler. A group of forty-three people who had sought counselling because of difficulties they were experiencing as partners of problem gamblers, were compared with a group of forty-seven partners of people who had no known addictions. Participants were recruited from local community services. Each participant was asked to complete three brief questionnaires that assessed mental and physical health, quantity and satisfaction with social support, and demographic information. The researcher expected that partners of problem gamblers would report significantly poorer levels of mental and physical health, as well as lower levels and less satisfaction with their social support networks, than the comparison group. The study also attempted to identify the key factors that predict mental and physical health problems in partners of problem gamblers. Results revealed that while partners of problem gamblers did report significantly poorer mental health, they did not report any significant differences in their levels of general physical health. It was also found that partners of problem gamblers reported less social support mechanisms and were generally less satisfied with their social relationships than the comparison group. Finally it was revealed that satisfaction with social support contributed significantly to predicting the mental health status of partners of problem gamblers. The treatment implications are discussed for those who work with partners of problem gamblers. This research also highlights the need for community education campaigns that draw attention to the needs of families of problem gamblers who currently are often overshadowed by the needs of their partner who gambles. Despite some methodological limitations, the findings of the current research pave the way for future research.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Coursework Masters) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Sciences - Department of Psychology (Up to 30 Jun 2013) |
| Supervisors: | Paul Bramston |
| Qualification: | Master of Psychology (Health and Community) |
| Date Deposited: | 18 Nov 2025 00:07 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Nov 2025 00:07 |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52831 |
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