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Published on: February 11, 2017
Parental problem gambling and child wellbeing: Systematic review and synthesis of evidence
Aino Suomi1, Nina Lucas2, Nicki Dowling3
1Institute of Child Protection Studies, Australian Catholic University, Australia; Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Australia.
Insights
Children of parents with problem gambling face significant harm. This review confirms negative impacts on child psychological, family, and physical wellbeing, highlighting distress and dysfunction.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Family Studies
Background:
- Children of parents with problem gambling are at risk of harm.
- No prior systematic reviews have exclusively focused on parental problem gambling and child wellbeing.
- This review addresses this gap in the literature.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review empirical evidence on the relationship between parental problem gambling and child wellbeing outcomes.
- To consolidate findings across multiple domains of child wellbeing.
- To provide a comprehensive overview of the impact of parental problem gambling on children.
Main Methods:
- Searched major databases (PsychINFO, CINAHL, Medline, Scopus) for relevant peer-reviewed articles.
- Included studies reporting on parental problem gambling and child wellbeing outcomes.
- Synthesized findings from 35 included studies.
Main Results:
- Parental problem gambling negatively impacts child wellbeing across psychological, family, behavioral, financial, and physical health domains.
- 16 studies directly attributed negative child outcomes to parental problem gambling.
- Evidence was particularly strong for child distress and family dysfunction.
Conclusions:
- This is the first systematic review to exclusively examine intra- and interpersonal problems in children with parents who have a gambling problem.
- Parental problem gambling has unequivocal negative effects on child wellbeing.
- Findings underscore the need for targeted interventions and support for affected families.
Background:
Children living with a problem gambling parent are at risk of harm but no previous systematic reviews have specifically focused on the relationship of parental problem gambling and child wellbeing outcomes. The current review aimed to redress this gap by reviewing all available empirical evidence on parental problem gambling and child wellbeing.
Method:
Articles were identified by searching PsychINFO, CINAHL, Medline and Scopus. The search included terminology pertaining to parents, problem gambling and children and we included all peer-reviewed articles that reported parental problem gambling and child wellbeing outcome(s).
Results:
Overall, 35 studies reporting a relationship between parental problem gambling and child wellbeing were included. Child wellbeing outcomes were reported across six domains: (1) psychological (k = 14); (2) family relationships (k = 17); (3) violence (k = 9); (4) behavioural (k = 7); (5) financial (k = 9); and (6) physical health (k = 3). The included studies were mostly unequivocal about negative impacts of parental problem gambling across the six domains. Sixteen studies provided evidence of negative child outcomes that were directly attributed to parental problem gambling (e.g., as a result of your parent's problematic gambling, you felt depressed). Nineteen studies reported evidence of the association of child negative outcomes and parental problem gambling but child outcomes were not directly attributed to parental problem gambling (e.g., parent is a problem gambler, child is depressed). Evidence was particularly robust on child distress and family dysfunction directly attributed to parental problem gambling.
Conclusion:
This is the first systematic review focusing exclusively on specific intra- and interpersonal problems experienced by children whose parents have a gambling problem.
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