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Table 2 A taxonomy of harms experienced by affected others of people who gamble

From: Understanding gambling related harm: a proposed definition, conceptual framework, and taxonomy of harms

 

General

Crisis

Legacy

Financial Harm

• Additional costs due to lack of capacity of person who gambles to meet their costs or joint costs (minor to major items)

• Reduction or loss of capacity to purchase luxury items such as holidays, electronics

• Reduction or loss of discretionary spending such as non-gambling related entertainment or other family members’ activities (ie. children’s sports)

• Erosion of savings

• Activities to manage short term cash-flow issues:

o Additional employment or other forms of income generation

o Accessing more credit

o Use of credit cards (kite flying)

o Selling or pawning items

o Pay day loans

o Non-payment or juggling of large bills such as utilities or rates

• Cost of replacing items sold or pawned as part of short term cash strategies

• Reduction or loss of non-immediate consequence expenditure

o Insurance (health, home, car, income protection, business)

o Repairs or maintenance costs (home, car, business)

o Health promotion activities (check-ups, long term medications, allied health support)

o Household items

• Reduction or loss of expenditure on items of immediate consequence:

o Children’s expenses (education)

o Medication or health care

o Clothing

o Food (including use of food parcel)

o Housing or accommodation

o Needing assistance with bill payments from welfare organisations or inability to pay bills (eg utilities)

o Transport costs (petrol, fares)

• Loss of capacity to meet requirements of essential needs (food)

• Loss of normal accommodation requiring temporary accommodation or resulting in homelessness

• Loss of major assets (car, home, business)

• Bankruptcy

• Reliant on welfare

• Restrictions due to bankruptcy or credit rating

• Ongoing financial hardship

• “Forced” cohabitation or involvement in unhealthy relationship due to financial constraint

• Further financial harm from attempts to manage debt (ie. Non-reputable finance providers for debt consolidation)

• Ongoing issues relating to financial security, poverty, or financial disadvantage.

• Higher costs associated with poor credit rating including premium cost of pay as you go services or increased security bonds.

Relationship Disruption, Conflict or Breakdown

• Dishonest communication within relationship from person who gambles to affected other

• Person who gambles is unreliable or unavailable to affected other

• Reduced amount of time spent with person who gambles

• Reduced quality of time spent with person who gambles

• Feelings of unequal contribution to relationship with person who gambles

• Disengagement or withdrawal from relationship responsibilities by person who gambles

• Increased levels of neglect of relationship by person who gambles

• Reduced engagement in family or social events with person who gambles,

• Tension in relationship with person who gambles

• Tension in other relationships due to emotional and/or material demands of trying to manage relationship with person who gambles

• Minor or occasional conflict due to increased involvement in gambling or suspicion of increased involvement with gambling by person who gambles

• Serious or regular conflict due to increased involvement in gambling or suspicion of increased involvement with gambling by person who gambles

• Major or constant conflict due to increased involvement in gambling or suspicion of increased involvement with gambling by person who gambles

• Loss of trust from relationship with person who gambles

• Episodic distortion of relationship roles (infantilising the person gambling, others including children having to take parental type role)

• Significant disruption to other relationships due to emotional and/or material demands of trying to manage relationship with person who gambles

• Episodic distortion of relationship between affected others (ie. Spouse of person who gambles using children of relationship as confidant)

• Incidence or escalation of family violence or intimate partner violence

• Contemplation of separation or rejection from relationship with person who gambles

• Actual separation or rejection from relationship with person who gambles and potentially related others

• Loss of other relationships due to emotional and/or material demands of trying to manage or remaining in relationship with person who gambles

• Social isolation due to feelings of shame or being stigmatised

• Loss of relationship (temporary or permanent) with spouse, partner, children, family, friends or community

• Distortion of relationship roles (infantilising the person gambling, others including children having to take parental type role)

• Incidence or escalation of family violence or intimate partner violence

• Feelings of guilt over ending relationship with person who gambles and potential impact

• Social isolation due to ongoing estrangement from other relationships

• Vulnerability to continuing in ongoing unhealthy relationship with person who gambles (episodic reconciliations) for reasons of guilt or inadequacy

• Inability or reluctance to participate in social functions at gambling venues to protect person who gambles

• Ongoing resentment and shame within relationship with person who gambles

• Relationship rebuilding or reconciliation

• Ongoing involvement of family court in parenting or co-parenting

• Long term damage or estrangement from person who gambles and potentially related others

• Ongoing distortion of relationship roles (infantilising the person gambling, others including children having to take parental type role or confidant role)

• Inability to form trusting relationships with others or hypervigilance within relationships

• Incidence or escalation of family violence or intimate partner violence

Emotional or Psychological Distress

• Feelings of frustration over person who gamble’s behaviour

• Anxiety when person who gambles does not respond to normal communication methods

• Emotional and psychological distress caused by difference to own value system

• Emotional or psychological distress of feelings of suspicion or being lied to

• Reduced feelings of self-worth

• Feelings of shame or guilt

• Loss of feeling safe and secure in life

• Increased feelings of inadequacy or personal failing because of inability to help person who gambles

• Emotional or psychological distress from being manipulated or threatened (threats to the affected other or threats of self harm by person who gambles)

• Perceptions of being stigmatised

• Anxiety when person who gambles disappears for extended periods of time without contact (days)

• Emotional or psychological distress of being blamed for other person’s gambling

• Emotional or psychological distress at people arguing because of gambling behaviours (children)

• Increased feelings of insecurity and vulnerability

• Emotional or psychological distress caused by other harms

• Loss of “face” or reputation due to impact of other harms

• Loss of sense of future or ability to get ahead

• Increasing feelings of powerlessness

• Guilt over harms to other affected others

• Increased feelings of anger and frustration

• Fear and distress from follow up and harassment by creditors (legal and illegal)

• Feelings of guilt if affected other was the person who introduced the person who gambles to gambling

• Increased risk to emotional or psychological wellbeing of affected other in the care of the person who gambles due to their distraction or tiredness

• Extreme emotional or psychological distress in relation to other harms

• Extreme emotional or psychological distress due to harm caused to other affected others

• Extreme emotional or psychological distress caused by living in constant feelings of insecurity and vulnerability

• Complete loss of feelings of self-worth and pride

• Extreme shame

• Extreme sense of hopelessness and powerlessness

• Emotional or psychological distress of dealing with person who gambles problems including their distress, self harm, suicidal ideation or completion.

• Loss of “face” or reputation (stigma) if person who gambles’ problem with gambling becomes publicly known

• Emotional or psychological distress of supporting and/or assisting person who gambles to seek treatment

• Extreme fear and distress from follow up and harassment by creditors (legal and illegal)

• Grief and/or resentment for loss of security, lifestyle, relationship

• Feelings of rejection that gambling is chosen over them

• Experienced and perceived stigma

• Ongoing guilt and shame

• Emotional and psychological impacts of supporting recovery or harm minimisation strategies including constant vigilance and behavioural adaptation

• Ongoing feelings of insecurity and vulnerability

• Ongoing emotional and psychological distress in relation to other harms

• Ongoing emotional or psychological distress due to harm caused to other affected others

• Ongoing emotional or psychological distress of vigilance to mental health status of person who gambles including distress, self harm, suicidal ideation or completion

• Ongoing feelings of grief, resentment and anger

Decrements to Health

• Physical impacts of other harms

• Biological manifestation of emotional and psychological distress eg. Feeling tired, increased blood pressure, loss of sleep, migraine, nausea, diarrhoea

• Reduced levels of self-care:

o nutrition

o hygiene

o sufficient sleep

o compliance with medical care

o physical activity

o reduced quality of living circumstances (ie cannot afford heating)

• Incidence of disease or injury due to reduced levels of self care

• Increased risk due to gateway effect, interaction with, or exacerbation of other health risk factors (drinking, smoking, illegal substances)

• Increased risk due to gateway to, interaction with, or exacerbation of morbidities (depression, anxiety, biophysical chronic disease)

• Increased experience of family violence due to involvement with person who gambles

• Incidence of self-harm

• Increased risk to physical wellbeing of affected other in the care of the person who gambles due to their distraction or tiredness

• Onset of health condition due to exacerbation of risk factors or continued stress from other harms

• Physical impacts of living rough due to homelessness, including increased risk of disease, violence and impact of poor living conditions

• Experience of violence due to involvement with person who gambles

• Medical emergency (including mortality) due to onset, exacerbation, or failure to diagnose condition due to impacts of person who gamble’s behaviours

• Serious self-harm

• Attempted (or completed) suicide

• Ongoing disability or decrement to health through attempted suicide or other forms of self-harm

• Ongoing increased risk of disease or decrement to health due to legacy effects of risk factors or poor self-care

• Ongoing disability or decrement to health due to other medical conditions exacerbated or advanced due to involvement with person who gambles

Cultural Harm

• Reduced engagement in cultural rituals

• Culturally based shame in relation to cultural roles and expectations

• Reduction of contribution to community and cultural practices of the community

• Reduction of cultural practices

• Reduced connection to cultural community

• Harm to individual through reduced connection to community and culture in terms of increased social exclusion or isolation

• Extreme cultural shame in relation to culturally based roles and expectations

• Loss of contribution to community

• Impact (loss) on cultural practices

• Damaged or lost connection to community and culture

• Damage to individual through reduced or lost connection to community

• Ongoing (including intergenerational) cultural shame in relation to culturally based roles and expectations

• Ongoing reduction or loss of contribution to community

• Ongoing reduction or loss of cultural practices

• Ongoing loss of connection to community

• Ongoing (intergenerational)damage to individual through reduced connection to community

Reduced Performance at Work or Study

• Reduced performance due to tiredness or distraction

• Increased absenteeism due to time spent supporting or addressing problems of person who gambles

• Reduced availability to contribute to the community through volunteer work

• Theft or fraud involving employment or educational institution

• Loss of job, suspension or exclusion from educational institution

• Exacerbation or contribution to other harms due to job loss (including loss of wage)

• Impact on others of loss of job or education

• Reduced opportunity for employment or enrolment due to past poor performance or criminal activity

• Trans-generational impact of loss of income and reduced future ability to participate in employment

• Ongoing impact in participation in volunteer work (linked to reputation and restriction of activities)

Criminal Activity

• Victim of crime from person who gambles – petty theft of items or small amounts of cash.

• Vulnerability to illegal activities that can provide fast access to funds

• Engagement in crimes of opportunity - petty theft including from family members

• Engagement in crimes of opportunity - property crimes for funds, illicit lending, fraudulent efforts to attain funds

• Engagement in crimes of duress - relating to repaying debt such as drug trafficking and prostitution

• Victim of crime from person who gambles –fraud

• Victim of crime from person who gambles – significant theft of money or items

• Victim of crime from involvement of person who gambles in illegal activities

• Arrest and/or conviction of criminal activity of opportunity

• Arrest and/or conviction of criminal activity of duress

• Arrest and/or conviction of criminal activity of negligence

• Ongoing impacts from being victim of crime

• Impact of criminal record on future employment opportunities, voluntary and community opportunities, travel restrictions

• Disruption to relationships of custodial sentence

• Ongoing impact on spouse, partner, child, family and friends due to impact of criminal record or custodial sentence through other mechanisms

• Trans-generational impact of criminal record or custodial sentence

• Shame and stigma of criminal conviction or involvement in criminal activity

Lifecourse and Intergenerational Harms

• Delay in life course events and matters of financial security and achievement

• Generational loss relating to financial security or financial achievement (ongoing impact caused by loss of major asset, superannuation)

• Loss of lifecourse events such as engagement/marriage/having children (generational loss)

• Loss of primary relationships and social connection (including parents/children/community)

• Homelessness

• Having to move towns / states due to impact of person who gambles or other harms

• Incarceration