National Child Abuse Prevention Month
‘Children of Disordered Gamblers’
Pamela Wade, BS, MPH Candidate, East Stroudsburg University
All states with the exception of Utah and Hawaii have some form of legalized gambling. With increased gambling availability and the advent of casinos, also come the increased risks for gambling-related problems. As we look at the month of April which is ‘National Child Abuse Prevention Month’ we would like to bring awareness of the effects gambling has on children. There is evidence that disordered gambling is associated with a child maltreatment-neglect:
Disordered gambling also has the potential for emotional and physical abuse towards children.
The link between disordered gambling and child neglect is the gambler sometimes may report experiencing “brown outs” where they suffer time disorientation and memory loss with respect to their gambling episodes. Another link is related to the gambling environment where there are often no clocks or windows and the gambler will lose track of how much time they have spent gambling. Consequently, a child can be left alone for very long periods of time.
Disordered gamblers may also adversely impact their children in other ways such as:
It is important for family members to intervene and protect the children by:
Encouraging the children to attend Gam-Anon or seek professional help.
