Evanston, IL—October 27, 2009—Many people perceive gambling to be a harmless recreational activity. However, it is estimated that six to eight million people in the United States personally suffer from a gambling related problem. This problem seems to grow tentacles, extending out to wreak havoc and can profoundly impact the physical, emotional, and financial health of the family (spouses, children, extended).
As stated in this month's issue of the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, the most common treatment models for problem gambling are focused on meeting the needs of gamblers but do not address the needs of couples and families whose lives have been negatively impacted by someone else's gambling. In the paper, the authors provide a detailed description of how problem gambling impacts families, they explain, "Our hope in writing this paper is to raise awareness about problem gambling and the importance of developing treatment programs that meet the needs of the families of problem gamblers."
As noted by the authors, many of the people who access problem gambling treatment services are family members. It is clear that the impact of gambling on families can no longer be allowed to slip "under the radar". Marriage and family therapists are well positioned to help families cope with the impact of problem gambling on their lives.
This study is published in the October 2009 issue of the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article may contact scholarlynews@wiley.com.
To view the abstract for this article, please visit http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122564313/abstract.
Jennifer L. McComb, M.Sc., LMFT (Purdue University) worked for five years as a family therapist in a Problem Gambling Treatment Center in Ontario, Canada. She is currently a doctoral candidate in the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at Purdue University and is involved in gambling research. Bonnie Lee, Ph.D. is an AAMFT Clinical Member and Approved Supervisor at the University of Lethbridge. She has developed a systemic model of couple therapy for problem gambling. They can be reached for questions at jlmccomb@purdue.edu and bonnie.lee@uleth.ca, respectively.
About the Journal: The Journal of Marital & Family Therapy (JMFT) ) is published quarterly by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and, with over 20,000 subscribers, is the best known and most influential family therapy journal in the world.
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Journal of Marital and Family Therapy