The impact of gambling on families in Hong Kong: The role of family functioning

Despite substantial evidence that problem gambling is associated with a wide range of family difficulties, limited effort has been devoted to studying the negative impacts on family members as a result of problem gambling, particularly in Chinese communities. It was hypothesized that significant negative relationships would be found between family member impacts and family functioning; and significant positive relationship would be found between family functioning and health and psychological wellbeing. A total of 103 family members of problem gamblers who sought help from Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Even Centre in Hong Kong were interviewed. Results showed that a majority of family members were partners or ex-partners of the gambler with low or no income. Family functioning was negatively correlated to gambling-related family impacts and psychological distress, and was positively correlated to health and psychological wellbeing. The results provide preliminary support for patterns of family functioning that could protect families from negative impacts of addictions. It is suggested that a culturally-sensitive treatment modality that focuses on enhancing family functioning will facilitate improvement in gambling related family impacts.