Abstract
This study examined public gambling stigma by testing stigmatization of those diagnosed with a gambling disorder, as specified by the DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association in Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.dsm16). The researchers hypothesized that the magnitude of stigmatization would fall in this order, from most stigmatized to least: (a) the target labelled and described in ways consistent with moderate gambling disorder (b) the target described in ways consistent with moderate gambling disorder, (c) the target described in ways consistent with recreational gambling, (d) and control. Participants were randomly presented with one of the four descriptions, then completed measures of cognitive, affective, and behavioral reactions. Results showed that those labelled with gambling disorder evoked slightly more social distance than those meeting criteria for the disorder with no label. However, both groups meeting criteria were more stigmatized than those who gamble without meeting criteria and those who do not gamble. Those described who gamble without meeting criteria were no more stigmatized than those who do not gamble, giving a more total picture of what gambling stigma is by indicating what it is not. Findings and implications are discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.dsm16.
Ben-Zeev, D., Young, M. A., & Corrigan, P. W. (2010). DSM-V and the stigma of mental illness. Journal of Mental Health, 19(4), 318–327. https://doi.org/10.3109/09638237.2010.492484.
Corrigan, P. W. (2000). Mental health stigma as social attribution: Implications for research methods and attitude change. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 7(1), 48–67. https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.7.1.48.
Crowne, D. P., & Marlowe, D. (1960). A new scale of social desirability independent of psychopathology. Journal of consulting psychology, 24(4), 349. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0047358.
Dhillon, J., Horch, J. D., & Hodgins, D. C. (2011). Cultural influences on stigmatization of problem gambling: East Asian and Caucasian Canadians. Journal of Gambling Studies, 27(4), 633–647. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-010-9233-x.
Feldman, D. B., & Crandall, C. S. (2007). Dimensions of mental illness stigma: What about mental illness causes social rejection? Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 26(2), 137–154. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2007.26.2.137.
Hauser, D. J., & Schwarz, N. (2016). Attentive Turkers: MTurk participants perform better on online attention checks than do subject pool participants. Behavior Research Methods, 48, 400–407. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-015-0578-z.
Hing, N., Holdsworth, L., Tiyce, M., & Breen, H. (2014). Stigma and problem gambling: Current knowledge and future research directions. International Gambling Studies, 14(1), 64–81. https://doi.org/10.1080/14459795.2013.841722.
Hing, N., Russell, A. M. T., & Gainsbury, S. M. (2016a). Unpacking the public stigma of problem gambling: The process of stigma creation and predictors of social distancing. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 5(3), 448–456. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.5.2016.057.
Hing, N., Russell, A. M. T., Gainsbury, S. M., & Nuske, E. (2016b). The public stigma of problem gambling: Its nature and relative intensity compared to other health conditions. Journal of Gambling Studies, 32(3), 847–864. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-015-9580-8.
Horch, J. D., & Hodgins, D. C. (2008). Public stigma of disordered gambling: Social distance, dangerousness, and familiarity. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 27(5), 505–528. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2008.27.5.505.
Link, B. G., Cullen, F. T., Frank, J., & Wozniak, J. F. (1987). The social rejection of former mental patients: Understanding why labels matter. American Journal of Sociology, 92(6), 1461–1500. https://doi.org/10.1086/228672.
Link, B., & Hatzenbuehler, M. L. (2016). Stigma as an unrecognized determinant of population health: Research and policy implications. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 41(4), 653–673. https://doi.org/10.1215/03616878-3620869.
Link, B. G., & Phelan, J. C. (2013). Labeling and stigma. In C. S. Aneshensel, J. C. Phelan, & A. Bierman (Eds.), Handbook of the sociology of mental health (pp. 525–541). Amsterdam: Springer.
Link, B. G., Yang, L. H., Phelan, J. C., & Collins, P. Y. (2004). Measuring mental illness stigma. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 30(3), 511–541. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.schbul.a007098.
Mason, W., & Suri, S. (2012). Conducting behavioral research on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Behavior Research Methods, 44, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-011-0124-6.
Osgood, C. E. (1952). The nature and measurement of meaning. Psychological Bulletin, 49(3), 197–237. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0055737.
Penn, D. L., Guynan, K., Daily, T., Spaulding, W. D., Garbin, C. P., & Sullivan, M. (1994). Dispelling the stigma of schizophrenia: What sort of information is Best? Schizophrenia Bulletin, 20(3), 567–578. https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/20.3.567.
Preston, F. W., Bernhard, B. J., Hunter, R. E., & Bybee, S. L. (1998). Gambling as stigmatized behavior: Regional relabeling and the law. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 556(1), 186–196. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716298556001014.
United States Census Bureau. (2016). QuickFacts: UNITED STATES. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045216.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
Billy Palmer declares that he has no conflict of interest. Eric Richardson declares that he has no conflict of interest. Martin Heesacker declares that he has no conflict of interest. M. Kristina DePue declares that she has no conflict of interest.
Ethics Approval
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Institutional Review Board and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments.
Appendix: Vignettes
Appendix: Vignettes
Unlabeled Moderate Gambling Disorder
Steve has been gambling money on slot machines for a few years. Starting a little over a year ago, he’s been increasing the amount that he gambles to achieve his desired level of fun. Often, he tries to save money by cutting back on the time he spends gambling. During these times, he feels restless. His significant other often expresses concern for his gambling and threatens to end the relationship. After these conflicts Steve, gambles more. Steve occasionally has asked for advances on his paycheck to be able to continue to gamble. While at work, he finds himself persistently thinking of gambling.
Labelled Moderate Gambling Disorder
Steve has been gambling money on slot machines for a few years. Starting a little over a year ago, he’s been increasing the amount that he gambles to achieve his desired level of fun. Often, he tries to save money by cutting back on the time he spends gambling. During these times, he feels restless. His significant other often expresses concern for his gambling and threatens to end the relationship. After these conflicts Steve, gambles more. Steve occasionally has asked for advances on his paycheck to be able to continue to gamble. While at work, he finds himself persistently thinking of gambling. Steve has been diagnosed with a moderate gambling disorder by a psychologist.
Recreational Gambling
Steve has been gambling money on slot machines for a few years. He gambles the same amount every time he goes to achieve his desired level of fun. Often, he cuts back on the time he spends gambling to save money. His significant other does not have an issue with his gambling. Steve does not gamble when he is feeling stressed. Steve has a job and is focused while at work.
Control
Steve has been playing tennis for a few years. He plays tennis once a week. Often, he cuts back on the time he plays tennis to spend time elsewhere. His significant other does not have an issue with his tennis playing. Steve plays tennis to cope with stress. Steve has a job and is focused while at work.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Palmer, B.A., Richardson, E.J., Heesacker, M. et al. Public Stigma and the Label of Gambling Disorder: Does it Make a Difference?. J Gambl Stud 34, 1281–1291 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-017-9735-x
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-017-9735-x