Impacts of the COVID-19 Shutdown on Gambling Patterns in Australia: Consideration of Problem Gambling and Psychological Distress
| Autor: | Sally M. Gainsbury, Martin T Burgess, Alex Blaszczynski, Thomas B. Swanton |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Male medicine.medical_specialty Coping (psychology) Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Shutdown coronavirus Psychological Distress 01 natural sciences Limited access 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine problem gambling Risk Factors medicine Humans Pharmacology (medical) 030212 general & internal medicine 0101 mathematics Psychiatry Pandemics Original Research Retrospective Studies business.industry SARS-CoV-2 010102 general mathematics Australia Psychological distress COVID-19 Exploratory analysis Mental health gambling Psychiatry and Mental health Cross-Sectional Studies Gambling disorder Female business |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Addiction Medicine |
| ISSN: | 1935-3227 1932-0620 |
| Popis: | OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic reduced access to gambling and contributed to widespread psychological distress. Psychological distress is a known risk factor for problem gambling as it can motivate excessive gambling as a coping response. The availability of gambling is considered a factor in maintaining problems. This paper aimed to investigate the impact of the shutdown of gambling venues on Australians, particularly among those vulnerable to mental health problems and gambling disorder. METHODS: Australian adults who had gambled at least once in the past 12 months (Nâ=â764, 85.2% male) completed an online cross-sectional survey. Self-report measures retrospectively assessed typical monthly gambling frequency and expenditure before and after the COVID-19 venue shutdown, problem gambling, and psychological distress. RESULTS: Significant median decreases in gambling frequency were observed, both online and overall. No relationship was found between psychological distress and baseline or increases in gambling. Greater problem gambling severity was related to higher baseline gambling, but not to increases in gambling. Exploratory analysis showed that individuals engaged in moderate-risk gambling, but not problem gambling, were more likely to report increased gambling frequency compared to nonproblem and low-risk gamblers combined. CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide important insights into how changes in availability influence gambling participation, and for understanding the effectiveness of forced restrictions and venue exclusion strategies. Most people moderated their gambling when venue-based gambling was unavailable and opportunities for sports betting were limited. However, harms experienced by individuals with some gambling problems may have been exacerbated during the period of limited access. Policies to enhance prevention and treatment of gambling problems are necessary even when availability is reduced. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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