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Callman, Sarah (2020) "I look at money differently now...": male UK problem gamblers and their relationship to money: an interpretative phenomenological analysis. Doctoral thesis, London Metropolitan University.
Background:
The gambling industry is a multi-billion pound industry offering diverse opportunities to gamble. The majority of the UK adult population has gambled at some point in their lives with 1-2% having a gambling problem and with males being significantly more likely to become problem gamblers than females. The literature suggests that money plays a complex role in the lives of problem gamblers and may be used as a way of increasing self-image as well as compensating for aspects deemed to be missing in their lives.
Aims:
This study seeks to explore the experience of money for UK-based males identifying as problem gamblers, providing them with a voice to articulate their subjective experience, which in turn may help to contribute towards better understanding of problem gamblers’ distress, improving treatment outcomes and informing evidence-based research.
Methodology:
Semi-structured interviews were completed with six men who met the inclusion criteria for this study. The transcripts were then analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).
Findings:
A total of three master themes and nine subthemes were identified through the analysis process. The master themes identified were: Money as a Drug, Money and the Perception of the Self, and Money and the Relationship With Others.
Conclusions:
The findings suggest that ‘control’, ‘self-worth’ and ‘a lack of attachment to the father’ emerged from the interviews as themes. Money appears to play a pivotal role in enabling the participants to try and prove their sense of worth and wish to remain in control, using winning as a measure of self-worth despite its drastic consequences. Recommendations for both clinical practice and future research are outlined.
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives 4.0.
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