Unit 2-06: Women Affected by Gambling Problems

Purpose:
Helpline data from across the country indicates that about 40% of helpline calls for disordered gambling come from women. While gender-specific research is limited, that which exists indicates that women prefer different forms of gambling than men, and that they are motivated to gamble for different reasons than their male cohorts. This workshop will review the historical stereotypes of male and female gamblers, and look at newer evidence of the progressions of women through the disordered gambling and recovery stages. The presenter will discuss motives for gambling and discuss gender variations in those motives.

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, the participant will:

• Understand the eight stages of female disordered gambling, and characteristics of each stage;
• Be able to identify five motives for gambling;
• Have familiarity with the Pathways Model as proposed by Blaszyzcinski and Nower;
• And understand some characteristics of female gamblers that inform disordered gambling treatment.

Unit Outline:

• Phases in the life of the gambler
• Pathways model of pathological gambling
• Stages of problem gambling for women
• Treatment issues for women