Problem Gambling in the Workplace: Characteristics of People Seeking Help

1. Problem Gambling in the Workplace: Characteristics of People Seeking Help Dr. Margaret Glenn, CRC Dr. Carolyn Hawley

2. Costs • Associated with unrecognized employee health problems • Substance abuse & mental illness have received increased attention as conditions impairing workplace performance • Few studies exist to define the impact problem gambling may have on the workforce & the workplace

3. Study • Exploring vocational patterns & demographics of problem gambling helpline callers • Chi-squared Automatic Interaction (CHAID) Technique analysis • Assesses what predictor variables differentiate workers with gambling related problems from people without employment

4. Workplace Barriers to Treatment & Recovery • Provision of VR services to assist substance abusers in returning to productive employment & self-sufficiency • better treatment outcomes • may ameliorate relapse • Employers’ reactions to & ability to access resources to address can eliminate significant barriers to treatment.

5. National Survey • >half felt uncomfortable asking a supervisor about coverage of addiction treatment than about treatment for other diseases such as diabetes. • > 1 in 5 believed that seeking health coverage for addiction tx would cause negative consequences at work • being fired, • losing a license, • failing to get a promotion; • Resulting in a reluctance to seek employer-provided health coverage for treatment for themselves or a family member.

6. Survey of HR • 60% believed addiction significantly affects employees in their workplaces • Obstacles exist that prevent them from recommending treatment • >1/2 reported a lack of experience or expertise in knowing how to identify addiction, • >1/3 didn’t know how to obtain services for treatment • Obstacles result from misinformation. • ¼ believed that it is easier & less expensive to terminate an employee with an addiction versus helping them access treatment • Despite evidence that treatment costs are cheaper than the costs of replacing an individual worker

7. Pathological Gambling • “a recurrent gambling behavior that disrupts all aspects of the gambler’s life” DSM-IV TR • 1 to 3 % of adult US population may meet the diagnostic criteria for problem gambling

8. Employment Consequences • Job loss & cost of unemployment benefits • Untreated disorders linked to • excess absenteeism & reduced productivity, • workers' compensation claims, • employee theft & fraud, • errors in judgment, • medical insurance claims from complications • May also negatively impact morale & productivity of other employees

9. Research Questions • Are there differences in the employment status (employed versus unemployed) of callers based on their demographics & gambling characteristics? • Are there gender differences in employees reporting gambling problems based on demographic & gambling characteristics?

10. Sample • N = 1,072 working age callers • 713 currently employed • 359 unemployed • Caller’s occupation - 6 SOC categories

11. Employment Status Node 0 Category % n Employed 66 713 Unemployed 33 359 Total (100 ) 1072 Current Age Adj. P-value=0.0000, Chi-square=48.4229, df=2 18-35 36-55 56-64 Node 2 Node 3 Node 1 Category % n Category % n Category % n Employed 74 447 Employed 62 203 Employed 44 63 Unemployed 26 158 Unemployed 38 122 Unemployed 56 79 Total (56 ) 605 Total (30 ) 325 Total (13 ) 142 Co-Morbidity Co-Morbidity Gender Adj. P-value=0.0410, Chi-square=6.0814, df=1 Adj. P-value=0.0015, Chi-square=12.1081, df=1 Adj. P-value=0.0137, Chi-square=6.0814, df=1 Female Male Substance Abuse, <missing> Mental Health Condition Substance Abuse,<missing> Mental Health Condition Node 4 Node 5 Node 6 Node 7 Node 8 Node 9 Category % n Category % n Category % n Category % n Category % n Category % n Employed 68 157 Employed 77 290 Employed 72 117 Employed 53 86 Employed 54 41 Employed 33 22 Unemployed 28 46 Unemployed 47 76 Unemployed 46 35 Unemployed 67 44 Unemployed 23 85 Unemployed 32 73 Total (35 ) 375 Total (21 ) 230 Total (15 ) 163 Total (15 ) 162 Total (7 ) 76 Total (6 ) 66 Triggering Life Events Family History Adj. P-value=0.0279, Chi-square=11.0229, df=1 Adj. P-value=0.0027, Chi-square=11.0282, df=1 Employment; Other; Death; Relationship Health Family HX of Addiction; Family HX of Gambling <missing> Node 10 Node 11 Node 12 Node 13 Category % n Category % n Category % n Category % n Employed 78 97 Employed 57 60 Employed 86 56 Employed 62 61 Unemployed 22 28 Unemployed 43 45 Unemployed 14 9 Unemployed 38 37 Total (12 ) 125 Total (10 ) 105 Total (6 ) 65 Total (9 ) 98

12. Discussion • Gambling related problems appearing as another stressor for employees, & thus, employers • Over 70% report being employed at the time of the call • Representative of every classification of employee • professionals to blue collar workers to the military.

13. Discussion • 1/3rd also in age brackets in which people are starting careers & building work history • ages 18 to 35 (28%) • The nature of problem gambling is chronic, with potential relapses • Unless addressed, problems will continue or reoccur throughout the individual’s life time

14. Web Object Placeholder Address:http://www.wvcpg.org Displayed in: Articulate Player Window size:720 X 540 Discussion • Fifty – fifty split in gender • Women more likely to report co-existing mental health problem (89%) than men (59%) • Men more likely to experience a co-existing a substance abuse problem (41%) than women (11%)

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16. Discussion • Report significant life events during year prior to development of PG • women more likely to report a loss or stress in relationships as a significant life event • men report employment & health difficulties • Over 57% of employed callers report family history of of substance abuse, problem gambling, or a mental health condition

17. Limitations • Relies on self-report data from subjects under duress who accessed a gambling helpline • accuracy of information can’t be verified • Results are from single state, may not be nationally representative • Info re: employment characteristics, employee gambling behaviors & their impact on performance, as well as employer policy & practices related to health & disability would allow us to begin to more fully understand problem gambling in the workplace

18. Conclusion • Employees are gambling & some are developing problems • Employers developing & operating workplace health interventions must consider this population • People who are part of a gambler’s life will need to be able to identify the problems and address it effectively • Targeting info to employed individuals can assist in more people seeking treatment before they lose all resources • Employed individuals find higher success in treatment of Substance use disorders • Same may be true for people with gambling problems, another avenue of research suggested by the results of this study.