Gambling Seniors and the Family Context Cover Image

Uprawianie hazardu przez seniorów a kontekst rodzinny
Gambling Seniors and the Family Context

Author(s): Bernadeta Lelonek-Kuleta
Subject(s): Social Sciences, Sociology, Family and social welfare
Published by: Towarzystwo Naukowe KUL & Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II
Keywords: gambling; senior; addiction

Summary/Abstract: The article presents some of the results of surveys on the gambling activity of seniors in Poland.1 Research on 80 respondents aged 60+ was conducted using an in-depth qualitative interview method. The article presents the results of the family context of gambling seniors. The following aspects linking family factors to elderly people gambling have been taken into account: family conditions that initiate gambling among seniors, family factors that motivate gambling, family attitudes towards gambling by seniors, and the consequences of gambling on family life. Gamblers often saw gambling practices in their own family homes, and so gambling practiced in old age may be a way of escaping from loneliness or be a source of hope for improving their financial situation and helping relatives. Gambling in extreme cases contributes to the breakup of the family, and often causes conflicts among family members. Relatives show different attitudes towards gambling, from tolerance and downplaying to severe opposition (depending on the severity of gambling by a senior).

  • Issue Year: 65/2018
  • Issue No: 10
  • Page Range: 101-120
  • Page Count: 20
  • Language: Polish