Is there a health inequality in gambling related harms? A systematic review

• Published in: BMC public health Vol. 21; no. 1; pp. 305 - 17
• Main Authors: Raybould, Jodie N, Larkin, Michael, Tunney, Richard J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 06-02-2021; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Addictions; Analysis; Compulsive gambling; Criteria; Culture; Demographic aspects; Demographics; Environmental conditions; Gambling; Gambling disorder; Gambling harms; Harm reduction; Harms; Health care; Health care disparities; Health disparities; Inequality; Minority & ethnic groups; Pathological gambling; Population; Problem gambling; Public health; Quality assessment; Quality control; Risk; Risk factors; Risk taking; Socioeconomic factors; Socioeconomics; Systematic review; United Kingdom; United Kingdom > UK; Risk severity; Gambling; Harms measures; Socioeconomic status; Gambling behaviour; Gender; Problem gambling; Online gambling; Gambling harms; Pathological gambling; Gambling disorder; Health inequality; Harms; Age; Culture
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-10337-3

Here we present a systematic review of the existing research into gambling harms, in order to determine whether there are differences in the presentation of these across demographic groups such as age, gender, culture, and socioeconomic status, or gambling behaviour categories such as risk severity and participation frequency.
Inclusion criteria were: 1) focus on gambling harms; 2) focus on harms to the gambler rather than affected others; 3) discussion of specific listed harms and not just harms in general terms. Exclusion criteria were: 1) research of non-human subjects; 2) not written in English; 3) not an empirical study; 4) not available as a full article.
We conducted a systematic search using the Web of Science and Scopus databases in August 2020. Assessment of quality took place using Standard Quality Assessment Criteria.
A total of 59 studies published between 1994 and 2020 met the inclusion criteria. These were categorised into thematic groups for comparison and discussion. There were replicated differences found in groups defined by age, socioeconomic status, education level, ethnicity and culture, risk severity, and gambling behaviours.
Harms appear to be dependent on specific social, demographic and environmental conditions that suggests there is a health inequality in gambling related harms. Further investigation is required to develop standardised measurement tools and to understand confounding variables and co-morbidities. With a robust understanding of harms distribution in the population, Primary Care Workers will be better equipped to identify those who are at risk, or who are showing signs of Gambling Disorder, and to target prevention and intervention programmes appropriately.