A Gambling Addiction Process in Adults Who Experienced Domestic Violence in Childhood

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study was to develop a theory on the gambling addiction process in adults who experienced domestic violence in childhood. Methods Data were collected from 20 adults from May 1st to August 30th, 2020. Data were analyzed using grounded theory methodology as suggested by Strauss and Corbin. Results The core category of this study was revealed to be ‘becoming addicted to gambling to avoid the physical and emotional pain caused by childhood domestic violence and be rewarded’. The core phenomenon was ‘struggle from pain’, which was derived from casual and contextual conditions: ‘ruthless physical violence’, ‘intolerable psychological pain’, and ‘bystand of violence’, ‘family addiction problem’. ‘parental immoral attitude’, The action and interaction strategies were ‘making money by any means’, and ‘gambling to forget the pain’. The intervening conditions affecting them were ‘a distorted view of money’, ‘resignation to helpless’, and ‘avoiding emotional distress’. The phases abbreviated through the produced process were the trauma phase, the avoidance phase, and the addiction phase. Conclusion Adults became addicted to gambling as a manifestation of distorted compensation mentality in an attempt to avoid the physical and emotional trauma of domestic violence in childhood. Key words: Gambling; Child abuse; Domestic violence; Qualitative research; Grounded theory 주요어: 도박, 아동기, ê°€ì •í­ë ¥, ì§ˆì ì—°êµ¬, 근거이ë¡