“Problem?
Who Says It Is A Problem?:
African Americans and Problem
Gambling—Challenges and
Opportunities”
Deborah G. Haskins, Ph.D., LCPC,
NCGC-II, BACC
Learning Objectives
1. Identify historical and cultural aspects of African
Americans, gambling, and problem gambling.
2. Understand key cultural values, beliefs,
experiences regarding African Americans when
providing problem gambling/mental health
treatment and outreach.
3. Consider cultural strengths and opportunities for
negotiating relationships and outreach to
African Americans.
First, Who Are African Americans?
•
•
Depends on Who You Ask and Talk to?
US Census Bureau (2010): Black or African American refers to a person having
origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. It includes people who indicated
their race(s) “Black, African-American, or Negro” or reported entries such as
African-American, Kenyan, Nigerian, or Haitian.
•
Term identifies a citizen of the U.S. with lineage that can be traced to Africa, south
of the Sahara….Linked to the transatlantic slave trade and does not include White
South Africans and Black people from the Caribbean or Africa who have obtained
citizenship through the immigration naturalization process. Children of these
parents who are born in the U.S. are usually identified as African Americans…term
almost exclusively replaced the term Black in reaction by Jesse Jackson who
asserted the term Black is “baseless,” whereas African American has “cultural
integrity. (Hall, 2005)
Key: Let the person/client self-identify—make no assumptions.
•
Current Research on AfricanAmericans and Problem Gambling
• New evidence that African Americans are more likely
to experience gambling-related problems than White
Americans (Barry, 2011)
• Black respondents (96%) more likely than Whites (45%)
to exhibit past-year PPG (Barry, et al., 2011)
• Problem gambling is more prevalent in minority
communities, and African Americans… may be
particularly vulnerable because of the role that some
forms of gambling plays in the social life of these
communities (Alegria et., al, 2009; Westermeyer, J., et
al., 2005).
Research
• Females were more likely to be African-American and either retired,
unemployed or otherwise outside the workforce (Ibanez, et al., 2003)
• Race was the most significant predictor of PG (Welte, et al., 2004)
• PG was more common than gambling w/o problems or social and
recreational gambling (Cunningham-Williams et al., 1998)
• African-Americans were more likely to gamble in response to Negative
Affect situations than Whites, and education was inversely associated with
wagering in response to Gambling Cues (Petry, Rash, & Blanco, 2010)
• Adolescent gambling among an African-American urban sample was
associated with substance use in both genders and lifetime conduct
disorder and psychiatric symptoms in females; male gamblers had higher
levels of externalizing behaviors compared to females (Martens et al.,
2008)
Why Important for You in California?
• The lifetime prevalence of PPG is particularly
high among African Americans and among
individuals who are disabled or unemployed
(although the authors noted a research
limitation included the prevalence rates of
PPG among African Americans was associated
with a relatively large sampling error and
should be treated cautiously).
Barriers to PPG Help Seeking in
California
(Volberg, Nysse, & Gerstein, 2006)
• Differ by gender, age, and ethnicity but
common reasons for not seeking help:
1. Not wanting to stop
2. Shame or embarrassment
3. Denial that gambling is causing problems
4. Assuming treatment would not work
Question: What are the barriers for African
Americans here?
Historical/Cultural Aspects of African
Americans/Gambling/Problem Gambling
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•
•
•
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•
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•
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“Numbers running” (historical vocation)
Lottery
Scratch-offs
Video Slot Machines located in community
Casinos (women, older adults, nursing home trips)
Race Tracks
Sports Betting (especially among youth)
Online Gambling
Street Dice games
Dog Fighting (Males, Youth)
Card games: Pinochle, Baccarat (e.g., Gladys's Knight)
Key: Is gambling viewed as a problem within this
community?
Why Do African Americans Gamble?
Same Reasons Everyone Else Does
Cultural Distinctions?
Entertainment
Money (historical vocation with men)
Social connections
Financial Strategy (vs. banks, loans, credit)
Excitement/Action
Social-Cultural Bonding/Fellowship
Money
Escape (Coping Strategy) to Cultural
Realities (racism, classism, poverty etc.)
Escape from Uncomfortable
Emotions/Experiences/Situations
Psychological Response/Resolution to
Invisibility Syndrome (esp. males)
Genetic/Psychological
Predispositions/Vulnerability
African American Male Invisibility
Syndrome—Signs & Symptoms
• Frustration
• Increased awareness of
perceived slights
• Chronic indignation
• Pervasive
discontent/disgruntlement
• Anger
• Immobilization or increasing
inability to get things done
• Questioning one’s
worthiness
• Disillusionment and
confusion
• Feeling trapped
• Conflicted racial identity
• Internalized rage
• Depression
• Substance Abuse
• Loss of Hope
(Franklin, 2004)
Key Cultural Considerations
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•
•
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Acknowledgement of Oppression
External Coping Resources
Differences in Worldview
Racial Identity Development (and
racial saliency)
• Acculturation
Why Don’t African Americans Seek
Treatment/PPG RX?
• Mistrust of “White” institutions dating back to slavery
(Boyd-Franklin, 1998; 2005)
• Mistrust of Agencies which have oppressed Blacks
(e.g., police, foster care systems) (Boyd-Franklin, 1998;
2005)
• Lack of Insurance and Finances to Pay (Boyd-Franklin,
1998, 2005; Smith, 2004; Sue & Sue, 2008)
• Lack of Transportation (Sue & Sue, 1999)
• Use of own community/cultural resources (Smith,
2004)
• Same reasons others don’t: STIGMA, “Not a Problem”
Cultural Strengths: What is Missing?
Why Lack of Identifying/Incorporating Cultural Strengths?
• Deficit-models prominent (Helms & Cook; 1999; Sue & Sue, 2003)
• Treatment models (European-Americans) used as universal standard
(Helms & Cook, 1999; Sue & Sue, 2003, 2008)
• Incompatibility of universal treatment/outreach with African-American
realities and valuing
“Living in the City” (Stevie Wonder)
“It’s a Jungle Out There…Don’t Push Me..I’m on The
Edge” (Grandmaster Flash)
• Practitioners’ discomfort with African-Americans (miseducation) (Helms &
Cook, 1999)
• Practitioners’ lack of cultural broaching (Day-Vines, et al., 2007)
African American Cultural Strengths
• African self-consciousness (“Say It Loud! I’m Black
and I’m Proud!”)
• Religious faith and spirituality (McGoldrick, Pearce &
Giordano, 2005); Richard & Bergins, 2000); indigenous
practices
• Extended Family Networks
• Communal valuing
• Reliance on community networks/relationships
• Resiliency (historical): Trouble Don’t Last Always
Opportunities for Treatment and
Outreach
• What is Needed:
1. New, emic culture-based paradigms for
problem gambling/mental health treatment
and outreach (Barry, 2010)
2. Cultural-guidance (Tseng & Streltzer, 2004):
Therapeutic interventions based on cultural
insight and assessment of whether and how
a client’s problems are related to cultural
and/or environmental factors
Engaging African Americans: RX and
Outreach
• Demonstrate comfort being-in-relationship
(cultural credibility)
• Do groundwork to establish relationships
with community for referrals/provide
prevention education first
• Integrate cultural context and worldview into
RX and outreach
• Address invisibility syndrome/cultural
challenges in the RX plan
Engaging Tools/2
• Be aware A-As “Don’t do groups” (challenge with 12-step
rooms, lack of cultural identification w/attendees)
• Identify natural-cultural eco-systems: Religious/Spiritual
Leaders, The “Black Church,” Families, etc.
• Educate/Train family/friends/laypersons on PPG: front-line
assessors; See www.baylor.edu/Christianethics/
• Use/Develop culturally-reflective educational/therapeutic
resources: See You-Tube “African Americans and Problem
Gambling” (Univ of Penn Law Class)
• Use bibliotherapy (and cultural literature): Many will be
hesitant or won’t come at all
Question for Reflection and
Commitment
Are we willing to move outside of
the safe confines of our
agencies/organizations to build,
establish, collaborate with
persons/community resources
serving African Americans already?
Questions/Comments
Selected References
Adell, S. A. (2010). Confessions of a slot machine queen: A memoir. Madison, WS: Eugenia Books.
Alegria, A.A., Petry, N. M., Hasin, D.S., Liu, S.M., Grant, B.F., & Blanco, C. (2009). Disordered
gambling among racial and ethnic groups in the US: results from the national epidemiological survey on alcohol and related conditions, CNS Spectrums, 14, 132-142.
Barry, D. T. (2011). “New Research on Minorities and Gambling.” Gambling Disorders 360. http://blog.ncrg.org/blog/2010.
Boyd-Franklin, N. (2005). (2nd Ed.). Black families in therapy: Understanding the African American experience. NY: The Guilford Press.
Day-Vines, N. L., Wood, S. M., Grothaus, T., Craigen, L., Holman, A., Dotson-Blake, K., & Douglas, M. J. (2007). Broaching the subjects of race, ethnicity, and culture
during the counseling process. Journal of Counseling & Development, 85, 401-409.
Franklin, A. (2004). From brotherhood to manhood: How Black men rescue their relationships and dreams from the invisibility syndrome. NJ: Wiley Publishers, Inc.
Hall, L. E. (2005). Dictionary of multicultural psychology: Issues, terms, and concepts. CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Haskins, D. (2011). “Congregational ministry to problem gamblers.” In R. B. Kruschwitz (Eds.), The gambling culture. TX: Baylor University.
Martins, S. S., Storr, C. L., Ialongo, N. S., & Chilcoat, H. D. (2008). Gender differences in mental health
characteristics and gambling among African-American adolescent gamblers. American Journal of
Addictions, 17, 126-134.
McGoldrick, M., Giordano, J., & Garcia-Preto, N. (2005). (3rd Ed.). Ethnicity and family therapy. NY: The Guilford Press.
Petry, N., Rash, C. J., & Blanco, C. (2010). The inventory of gambling situations in problem and
pathological gamblers seeking alcohol and drug abuse treatment. Experimental and Clinical
Psychopharmacology, 18, 530-538.
Volberg, R.. A., Nysse-Carris, K. L., & Gerstein, D. R. (2006). 2006 California problem gambling prevalence survey. CA: NORC.
Westermeyer, J., et al. (2005). Lifetime prevalence of pathological gambling among American
Indian and Hispanic American veterans. American Journal of Public Health, 95, 860-866.