title: Problem Gambling Family Impacts: Development of the Problem Gambling Family Impact Scale.
abstract: Although family members of problem gamblers frequently present to treatment services, problem gambling family impacts are under-researched. The most commonly endorsed items on a new measure of gambling-related family impacts [Problem Gambling Family Impact Measure (PG-FIM: Problem Gambler version)] by 212 treatment-seeking problem gamblers included trust (62.5 %), anger (61.8 %), depression or sadness (58.7 %), anxiety (57.7 %), distress due to gambling-related absences (56.1 %), reduced quality time (52.4 %), and communication breakdowns (52.4 %). The PG-FIM (Problem Gambler version) was comprised of three factors: (1) financial impacts, (2) increased responsibility impacts, and (3) psychosocial impacts with good psychometric properties. Younger, more impulsive, non-electronic gaming machine (EGM) gamblers who had more severe gambling problems reported more financial impacts; non-EGM gamblers with poorer general health reported more increased responsibility impacts; and more impulsive non-EGM gamblers with more psychological distress and higher gambling severity reported more psychosocial impacts. The findings have implications for the development of interventions for the family members of problem gamblers.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne Burwood Campus, Building BC, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, VIC, 3125, Australia. nicki.dowling@deakin.edu.au.|Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. nicki.dowling@deakin.edu.au.|School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia. nicki.dowling@deakin.edu.au.|Centre for Gambling Research, School of Sociology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia. nicki.dowling@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Dowling
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne Burwood Campus, Building BC, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, VIC, 3125, Australia.|Centre for Gambling Research, School of Sociology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suomi
authors.affiliation: Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.affiliation: Student Learning Centre, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia.|School of Medicine, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lavis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005195:Family Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*
keywords: Counselling; Family; Gambling; Impact; Significant others; Treatment