Background: This study was driven by the belief in the need to expand our understanding of the experience of people with problem gambling. Although there are increasing studies in explaining problem gambling, there is a lack of studies from a meaning-making perspective. Most of the existing models explaining problem gambling place less emphasis on the surrounding system, such as family and peers, which may have an interactive relationship with one’s gambling behaviour. Besides, gambling studies with a focus on culture often involve participants of minority groups and non-mainstream status, which is different from the local context in a Chinese-dominant country. Hence it is worthwhile to understand people with problem gambling in the local context by consideration of their meaning-making toward gambling and their interaction with surrounding systems. Objectives: The study aims to develop understanding of the indigenous pathway(s) of becoming problem gamblers and how such problem behaviour is maintained. The main focuses of this study are how do males develop from social gamblers to problem gamblers, how do they experience themselves as problem gamblers, how may the differences in experiences result in different consequences, and what are some possible factors that initiate and maintain such process. Methods: With reference to the theoretical framework of symbolic interactionism, a qualitative research methodology was employed. In-depth interviews were conducted to allow the researcher to listen to the stories and the subjective experiences of the participants. A rich pool of data in the forms of narratives and sketches of gambling history timelines was collected. QSR NVIVO software was used to help data analysis. Results: The findings revealed how these men experienced the relationship with gambling and made meaning toward their gambling behaviour. Six stages, engagement, enjoyment, immersion, entrapment, separation and termination, were identified with reference to their meaning-making toward gambling. It was identified that there are dynamic interactions among the relationship with gambling, intra-personal relationship and interpersonal relationships in each stage. Vulnerability factors, maintenance factors and exiting factors, which have their roles in driving individuals from one stage to another, were identified and used as significant indicators for the typology of people with gambling problems. This study constructed a five-group typology: a chronic emptiness group, an overly-dependent group, an overly self-demanding group, a prolonged interpersonal distressed group and a brief and intensely distressed group. A process model of Chinese Hong Kong male problem gambling was proposed, which has significant implications for theoretical knowledge and practice. Conclusion: This study makes a significant contribution by widening our understanding of the experience of people with problem gambling. It informs us of the important role of meaning making toward gambling and what purpose gambling has served for the people. Meanwhile, it proposes the importance of looking into the interaction dynamics among one’s relationship with gambling, intrapersonal relationship and interpersonal relationships. / published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Journalism and Media Studies Centre / Master / Master of Journalism

published_or_final_version / abstract / Psychiatry / Master / Master of Philosophy

Lai Hiu Wai. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-72). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / List of Figures --- p.i / List of Tables --- p.ii / Chapter Chapter 1: --- Introduction to the Study --- p.1 / Introduction --- p.1 / Profiles of Attendees in Support Groups --- p.5 / Investigating Drop-out and Attendance in Support Groups --- p.6 / Psychological and Relational Factors affecting Relapse and Gambling Behaviors --- p.7 / Motivation to Change --- p.7 / Cognitive evaluation of change --- p.9 / Emotional Effect of the Rock-bottom Experience --- p.9 / Relationship Influence --- p.10 / Religious Coping --- p.12 / Chapter Chapter 2: --- Method --- p.14 / Participants --- p.14 / Demographics --- p.14 / Type of Gambling Activity --- p.15 / General Overview --- p.17 / Phase One --- p.18 / Demographics --- p.18 / Other Background Information --- p.18 / Gambling Behaviors --- p.18 / "Qualitative Session: ""Rock-bottom"" Experience" --- p.19 / Motivation to change --- p.19 / Pros and Cons of Changing --- p.20 / Negative Emotional Arousal --- p.20 / Emotional Social Support --- p.20 / Enabler and Helper Scale --- p.21 / "Religious, Spiritual, and Philosophical Beliefs" --- p.21 / Religious Observance --- p.22 / Higher Power Control --- p.23 / Phase Two --- p.23 / Participants --- p.23 / Self-stigma --- p.24 / Gambling Behaviors --- p.24 / Dropping Out Behaviors --- p.25 / Chapter Chapter 3: --- Results --- p.26 / Rock-bottom Experience --- p.26 / The Profile --- p.30 / Rock-bottom Typology --- p.34 / Correlations with Rock-bottom Experience --- p.35 / Those Staying Longer in the Support Group --- p.39 / "Descriptives about Gambling Outcome, Attendance and Drop Out" --- p.46 / Concept of What Gambling Activities to Quit --- p.47 / Predicting Relapse and Gambling Expenditures --- p.47 / Predicting Attendance and Drop Out --- p.49 / Role of Self-stigma --- p.49 / Chapter Chapter 4: --- Discussion --- p.51 / Insights about the Gender Imbalance --- p.51 / Importance of Social Influence for Chinese Gamblers --- p.53 / The Chinese Gamblers' Rock-bottom Experience --- p.54 / Insights from Attendance and Drop-outs --- p.55 / Protective and Hindering Individual Factors in Successful Control of Gambling --- p.57 / Self-stigmatization --- p.58 / Hurdles and Future Directions in Gambling Research --- p.59 / References --- p.62 / Appendix --- p.73

published_or_final_version / Criminology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Increased accessibility and availability of gambling opportunities around the world have contributed to more people having problems with gambling. Current gambling studies have focused on the etiology, prevalence and mechanism for the development of pathological gamblers with few studies examining the processes of change of pathological gamblers into non-gamblers. / Qualitative case analysis has been used in understanding the inner, personal and subjective changes of Chinese male pathological gamblers when concerning their process of change and their difficulties in regulating their gambling behaviour. Participant observations were conducted to collect background information about pathological gamblers and build up trustful relationships with potential respondents. Fourteen recovered gamblers or pathological gamblers have been interviewed. The researcher has utilized narrative analysis to explore the meaning of the narratives of the ex-gamblers and pathological gamblers about their relpases, their identity formation, the role of human agency and about how others have storied their lives into a meaningful configuration when facing their gambling problems. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) / There has been a lack of qualitative studies to understand the narratives of Chinese male gamblers in accounting for their changes from gamblers to non-gamblers. In particular, no studies on Chinese male gamblers have examined the issue of relapses and how pathological gamblers manage relapses. / This study aims to understand the interpretations and narratives made by pathological gamblers during their change. This study will give insights on how Chinese male pathological gamblers are able to abstain from pathological gambling. As relapses are common among pathological gamblers, this study would like to understand why and how relapses occur. Further, the study would like to understand the factors that motivate and maintain changes. Also, it tries to understand how the identified factors of changes such as interpersonal support, the formation of a new identity and meaning of life, the role of spirituality on gamblers' motivation, their connection with family members, have interacted with one another to constitute change. / Leung, Yuk Ki. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 71-01, Section: A, page: 0334. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 300-323). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese.