Gambling Harm Beyond the Gambler: A Pilot Study of Affected Others in the United States
Location
Ponderosa Room A
Presentation Type
Presentation
Presentation Topic
sociology, public health, gender, family studies, addiction and behavioral studies
Start Date
6-3-2026 11:15 AM
Event Sort Order
23
Abstract
This study examines gambling-related harm centering the experiences of affected others—particularly women—whose lives are shaped by a partner’s or family member’s gambling. Drawing on narrative inquiry and Family Stress Theory, the study explores how gendered expectations of care, emotional labor, and responsibility structure women’s experiences of financial strain, relationship disruption, and emotional distress. Findings highlight how women often assume invisible support roles, engage in boundary-setting and protective caregiving, and navigate stigma and silence surrounding gambling harm. The analysis further demonstrates how normative ideals of femininity, motherhood, and relational stability shape coping strategies and meaning-making processes over time. By foregrounding relational and gendered dimensions of harm, this study challenges individualistic models of gambling and contributes to feminist and gender-informed understandings of addiction, care work, and family stress. The findings underscore the need for gender-responsive, family-centered interventions and policy approaches that recognize the disproportionate and often overlooked burdens carried by women affected by gambling.
Gambling Harm Beyond the Gambler: A Pilot Study of Affected Others in the United States
Ponderosa Room A
This study examines gambling-related harm centering the experiences of affected others—particularly women—whose lives are shaped by a partner’s or family member’s gambling. Drawing on narrative inquiry and Family Stress Theory, the study explores how gendered expectations of care, emotional labor, and responsibility structure women’s experiences of financial strain, relationship disruption, and emotional distress. Findings highlight how women often assume invisible support roles, engage in boundary-setting and protective caregiving, and navigate stigma and silence surrounding gambling harm. The analysis further demonstrates how normative ideals of femininity, motherhood, and relational stability shape coping strategies and meaning-making processes over time. By foregrounding relational and gendered dimensions of harm, this study challenges individualistic models of gambling and contributes to feminist and gender-informed understandings of addiction, care work, and family stress. The findings underscore the need for gender-responsive, family-centered interventions and policy approaches that recognize the disproportionate and often overlooked burdens carried by women affected by gambling.
Presenter Bio
Rowland Edet is a PhD student in Sociology at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he studies public health, family relationships, and gender and health inequalities. He holds a master’s degree in Public Policy from Chiang Mai University in Thailand and an M.Sc. in Sociology from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, bringing a strong interdisciplinary perspective to his research. His academic work focuses on gambling-related harm, family well-being, and gendered health outcomes, and he plans to pursue a career in academia and public health research. Outside of his academic work, Rowland enjoys learning languages and can communicate in American Sign Language.