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Lorne Tepperman, University of Toronto
Patrizia Albanese, Ryerson
Categories: · Social/enviromental factors ·
| Type of Award | Amount Approved | Project Status |
|---|---|---|
| Level III | $208,832.00 | In Progress |
ABSTRACT
This research is designed to identify social processes that lead to higher-than-average rates of problem gambling among children of problem gamblers. There is ample evidence that problem gambling, like other forms of addiction such as alcoholism, is “inherited” in the sense that it is found disproportionately among the children of parents with that problem; however, the role of heredity has been relatively unexplored in problem gambling research. While Steel and Blaszczynski (1996) determined that four psychological factors explain 62% of the variance in pathological gambling behaviour, the social processes involved in triggering these psychological factors have not been identified. Generally, a deeper assessment of the sociological mechanisms implicated in the intergenerational transmission of problem gambling will allow for the identification of additional etiological factors that are associated with the development of problem gambling. For example, it will help clarify how parental problem gambling leads to the adoption and maintenance of risk practices among their children. This examination of the children of problem gamblers will help further describe how the interaction between the child and their family environment influences the development of problem gambling. The proposed research will also help bring attention to the ‘heredity’ of problem gambling. Additionally, it will shift the focus from the genetic and psychological explanations to the dominant social mechanisms that characterize the circumstances under which the intergenerational transmission of problem gambling occurs. The proposed study will use two methods – interviews and content analysis – to examine the intergenerational transmission of problem gambling. The information garnered from this research may be used to help develop prevention and treatment resources that address the larger social context and structure in which problem gamblers and their children reside.