Penfold Katy, Nicklin Laura Louise, Chadwick Darren, Lloyd Joanne
School of Psychology, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, United Kingdom.
School of Education, University of Wolverhampton, Walsall, West Midlands, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2024 Dec 10;19(12):e0315377. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0315377. eCollection 2024.
People who experience gambling harms commonly experience stigmatisation, which is detrimental to psychological wellbeing, and a significant barrier to help-seeking. While there have been efforts to challenge stigmatisation, there is little empirical evidence available to inform such initiatives. To address this gap in knowledge, we conducted a thematic analysis of naturalistic data in the form of posts made on online support forums by people with experience of gambling-related harm, in order to understand how they are stigmatised, and to identify barriers to help-seeking. Five main themes were identified: (a) beliefs about the nature and origin of gambling addiction, which related to participants' beliefs about causes of gambling harm and cognitions about the nature of addiction; (b) self-stigma, which encompassed the frequent and substantial incidences of self-stigma; (c) anticipated stigma, which described the stigma and discrimination people expected to face because of their gambling harm; (d) stigmatising other people who experience gambling harm, which describes the ways in which some people who experienced gambling harms stigmatised other people who experienced gambling harms; and (e) experienced stigma and discrimination, which encompassed the experienced stigmatisation people encountered. Experiences discussed/described within the forums were developed into a timeline of gambling harms which was cyclical in nature and involved six stages: onset, concealment of problems, crisis point, disclosure of problems, recurrence of harms (sometimes termed 'relapse') and recovery. The study highlights the impact of societal stigma on individuals' self-perception and interactions, particularly emphasising the challenges experienced during relapse periods, which heighten stigma and distress. The study also identifies potential avenues for stigma reduction, including targeted campaigns addressing societal, anticipated, and self-stigma.
经历赌博危害的人通常会受到污名化，这对心理健康有害，也是寻求帮助的重大障碍。虽然已经有人努力挑战污名化，但几乎没有实证证据可为这类举措提供参考。为了填补这一知识空白，我们对有赌博相关危害经历的人在在线支持论坛上发布的帖子形式的自然主义数据进行了主题分析，以了解他们是如何受到污名化的，并确定寻求帮助的障碍。确定了五个主要主题：(a) 对赌博成瘾的性质和根源的看法，这与参与者对赌博危害原因的看法以及对成瘾性质的认知有关；(b) 自我污名化，其中包括频繁且严重的自我污名化情况；(c) 预期污名，描述了人们因赌博危害而预期会面临的污名和歧视；(d) 污名化其他有赌博危害经历的人，描述了一些有赌博危害经历的人污名化其他有赌博危害经历的人的方式；以及 (e) 经历的污名和歧视，包括人们遇到的实际污名化情况。论坛中讨论/描述的经历被整理成一个赌博危害的时间线，其本质上是循环的，包括六个阶段：开始、问题隐瞒、危机点、问题披露、危害复发（有时称为“复吸”）和恢复。该研究强调了社会污名对个人自我认知和互动的影响，特别强调了在复发期所经历的挑战，这些挑战加剧了污名和痛苦。该研究还确定了减少污名的潜在途径，包括针对社会污名、预期污名和自我污名的有针对性的宣传活动。
