Coping styles and social support influence the experience of harm and distress of people affected by another person’s gambling

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Author(s): Tulloch, Catherine ; Browne, Matthew ; Rockloff, Matthew J. ; Hing, Nerilee ; Hilbrecht, Margo

Journal: Addictive Behaviors

Year Published: 2025

Date Added: March 27, 2025

Gambling-related harms can impact the health and wellbeing of people who gamble and those around them in a negative way. The stress–strain–coping–support (SSCS) model proposes that coping styles and social support are key factors in how effectively people respond to a stressor (e.g., another person’s gambling problem). Based on the SSCS model, this study examined the roles of coping styles and social support in affected others' experience of harm and distress. The researchers found that being closer to the person with a gambling problem, being exposed to a more severe gambling problem, greater use of maladaptive coping styles, and lower levels of social support were associated with experience of greater harm and psychological distress.

Citation: Tulloch, C., Browne, M., Rockloff, M., Hing, N., Hilbrecht, M. (2025). The roles of coping style and social support in the experience of harm and distress among people affected by another person’s gambling. Addictive Behaviors, 162, 108236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2024.108236

Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2024.108236

Keywords: affected others ; gambling harm ; psychological distress ; stress

Conceptual Framework Factors: Psychological Factors ; Resources - Harm Reduction, Prevention, and Protection ; Psychological - Coping Styles ; Social - Family and Peer Gambling Involvement ; Social Factors ; Gambling Resources

Study Design: Descriptive: Survey

Geographic Coverage: Australia, New South Wales

Study Population: Adults who identified as being close to someone with a gambling problem (n = 1131). About half of the participants were men (50.8%), and the mean age was 37.5 years. The majority were a friend (32.3%) or current spouse/partner (17.3%) of someone who gambled. The majority’s household situation was couple with children (38.2%) or no children (20.9%).

Sampling Procedure: Participants were recruited online through Qualtrics.

Study Funding:

Data collection for this study was funded by the New South Wales Office of Responsible Gambling.