Thesis (M.Ed.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2000. / Bibliography: leaves 32-35.

published_or_final_version / Nursing Studies / Master / Master of Nursing in Advanced Practice

Thesis (M.A.)--McGill University (Canada), 2004. / "Running head: Resilience and gambling behaviour in youth" Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toronto, 2005.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2005. / Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 307-315).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2005. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 307-315). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Fifty-two individuals 60 years of age or older participated in this research study. This study is of significance because as opportunities to gamble are becoming more available and accessible, older adults are participating in gambling activities for leisure and recreational benefits. This phenomenon is of concern because older adults may be at risk for problems related to gambling that they may not be able to recover from. Furthermore, senior center directors and social workers need to know how to assess, evaluate and intervene with older adults who may have gambling problems or problems related to their gambling behavior.

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Department of Sociology

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 / abstract / Psychiatry / Master / Master of Philosophy