“To me, it was Just a Vice”. Stigma and Other Barriers to Gambling Treatment in Piedmont, Italy

AbstractIn Piedmont (northwestern Italy), as in the rest of the Western world, only a small percentage of the estimated problem gamblers (10 –20%) turn to a treatment service to overcome their addiction issues. The study sought to gain a better understanding of the cultural factors that stand in the way of seeking help, thorough qualitative in-depth individual interviews with gamblers both in and out of treatment. A total of 30 intervi ews were conducted in three different health districts, most via video-call. Data were then analyzed using an abductive approach. The findings appear to indicate that the processes of stigma affecting problem gamblers and public gambling treatment services are the main barriers to seeking help. Acco rding to the interviewees, awareness of the problem is a necessary but not sufficient motivator for embarking on treatment, since social stigmatization leads them to hide the problem. Moreover, self-stigmatization processes seem to undermine the sense of self-efficacy that plays a key role in recove ry. To encourage help-seeking, the study thus suggests that priority should be given to efforts to reduce stigma, i.e., through informational and educational measures together with advocacy interventions, which aim primarily to reframe the gambling problem, shifting responsibility from the individua l to the collective level.
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - Category: Addiction Source Type: research