An All-Female Problem-Gambling Counseling Treatment: Perceptions of Effectiveness

Despite the fact that gambling is not gender-specific, the majority of the research in Western culture has focused on the situation of the American male gambler. Women of all ages, income, and culture gamble (Boughton, 2006; Statistics Canada, 2008; Wenzel & Dahl, 2009), thus emerging as the gender most likely to experience gambling difficulties (Li, 2007; Schnell, 2002), while simultaneously being less likely to seek treatment for problem gambling compared with men (Boughton; Volberg, 2003). A logical question arising is, "What intervention mechanisms would support female problem gamblers?" The purpose of this study was to explore women's experiences of all-female group counseling for problem gambling and to identify emergent themes from the women's experience. Participants were in a 12-week women-only treatment group offered through a provincial health agency. A qualitative, thematic analysis using the constant comparison method was conducted with resultant themes and grounded theory, providing insight into counseling practices for women problem gamblers. The results highlight that the women who participated in the group found women-only groups to be helpful and stated their preference for female-only treatment groups in the future. Further research and exploration of women-only treatment are recommended to improve problem-gambling intervention for women.