ABSTRACT:

Problem gambling is strongly associated with negative family functioning, but relatively little is known about specific impacts of parental problem gambling on child wellbeing. In this seminar, I present recent data from an Australian online survey of parents (problem gamblers and non-gambling spouses) and adult children of problem gamblers. The data shows that participants exposed to parental problem gambling as a child experienced significant levels of financial, interpersonal, psychological harm, as well as abuse and neglect as a direct result of parental gambling. It also shows that parents perceived the harmful impacts of gambling on children as significantly less severe than children themselves. The harmful impacts of parental gambling as a child were also associated with psychological problems in adulthood, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. I will discuss the policy implications of our findings, including the need to better support families with children exposed to parental problem gambling.

BIO:

Aino is a public health researcher and a psychologist with a specific focus on family wellbeing in the context of gambling harm. Her research has made a significant contribution to policy and service provision around family impacts of problem gambling, the co-occurrence of problem gambling and family violence, and help-seeking for gambling harm and co-morbid mental health conditions. Aino currently holds academic positions at the ANU Research School of Population Health and the ACU Institute of Child Protection Studies. She will commence as the Director of the Centre for Gambling Research at CSRM in early 2022.

Contact naomi.snowball@anu.edu.au for the zoom link