New research has understood that people who find it hard to control their gambling habits are more likely to leave various sports, religious or cultural groups.
The Ministry of Health funded the study, which is called “New Zealand National Gambling Study: Correspondence between changes in gambling and gambling risk levels and health”. It was carried out by AUT (Auckland University of Technology), with researchers studying New Zealand gamblers in the period from 2012 to 2015.
As revealed by the lead author of the research, Maria Bellringer, an associate professor at the Gambling and Addictions Research Center, the findings could help recognize individuals who suffer from gambling addiction. Ms Bellringer said that a sudden and unexpected withdrawal of a person from their active membership in a certain community group without an apparent reason could be a sign that the person is facing some gambling problems that have been kept secret from their friends and families, as well as from other community members.
This type of behaviour is quite typical for Pasifika and Māori populations, which have also been known for being more susceptible to gambling-related harm, the lead author of the study also explained. Ms Bellringer shared that Māori people and people living in the Pacific region are more focused on their communities than other residents of the country, which is why there is an increased possibility for people originating from such groups to become affected by more dangerous gambling behaviour. Such people are also more likely to voluntarily withdraw from various groups within their communities due to their gambling addiction, the study has found.
Study Provides Better Knowledge of Gambling Behaviour of More Vulnerable People in New Zealand
According to Ms Bellringer, the aforementioned findings of the research are important because people from Pacific and Māori communities are usually more disadvantaged when it comes to gambling-related harm, as they were proved to be more vulnerable and could deal with negative effects associated with compulsive gambling than the rest of New Zealand’s population.
Apart from sudden community withdrawals, the research unveiled possible links between deteriorated health and problem gambling of people who find it hard to control their gambling habits. Ms Bellringer shared that such people may have a poor life quality or they may start dealing with more stressful events in their lives, including a job loss, a divorce, deteriorating health condition, etc. she further noted that the transition of such community members into gambling addiction was also linked to increased financial problems and poverty.
The good news is the fact that the process can be reversed. Even more, people who managed to transition away from gambling addiction also managed to improve their health in general. The study found that such people were also likely to become more careful about their health and subsequently became more likely to make their overall life quality better.
According to Ms Bellringer, the newest study was helpful, as it provided more knowledge about public health in New Zealand, which could turn out helpful when it comes to prevention and treatment of problem gambling and gambling-related harm.
- Author
Daniel Williams
