Table 2.

A taxonomy of harms experienced by affected others of people who gamble

	General	Crisis	Legacy
Financial Harm	• Additional costs due to lack of capacity of person who gambles to meet their costs or joint costs (minor to major items) • Reduction or loss of capacity to purchase luxury items such as holidays, electronics • Reduction or loss of discretionary spending such as non-gambling related entertainment or other family members’ activities (ie. children’s sports) • Erosion of savings • Activities to manage short term cash-flow issues: o Additional employment or other forms of income generation o Accessing more credit o Use of credit cards (kite flying) o Selling or pawning items o Pay day loans o Non-payment or juggling of large bills such as utilities or rates • Cost of replacing items sold or pawned as part of short term cash strategies • Reduction or loss of non-immediate consequence expenditure o Insurance (health, home, car, income protection, business) o Repairs or maintenance costs (home, car, business) o Health promotion activities (check-ups, long term medications, allied health support) o Household items • Reduction or loss of expenditure on items of immediate consequence: o Children’s expenses (education) o Medication or health care o Clothing o Food (including use of food parcel) o Housing or accommodation o Needing assistance with bill payments from welfare organisations or inability to pay bills (eg utilities) o Transport costs (petrol, fares)	• Loss of capacity to meet requirements of essential needs (food) • Loss of normal accommodation requiring temporary accommodation or resulting in homelessness • Loss of major assets (car, home, business) • Bankruptcy	• Reliant on welfare • Restrictions due to bankruptcy or credit rating • Ongoing financial hardship • “Forced” cohabitation or involvement in unhealthy relationship due to financial constraint • Further financial harm from attempts to manage debt (ie. Non-reputable finance providers for debt consolidation) • Ongoing issues relating to financial security, poverty, or financial disadvantage. • Higher costs associated with poor credit rating including premium cost of pay as you go services or increased security bonds.
Relationship Disruption, Conflict or Breakdown	• Dishonest communication within relationship from person who gambles to affected other • Person who gambles is unreliable or unavailable to affected other • Reduced amount of time spent with person who gambles • Reduced quality of time spent with person who gambles • Feelings of unequal contribution to relationship with person who gambles • Disengagement or withdrawal from relationship responsibilities by person who gambles • Increased levels of neglect of relationship by person who gambles • Reduced engagement in family or social events with person who gambles, • Tension in relationship with person who gambles • Tension in other relationships due to emotional and/or material demands of trying to manage relationship with person who gambles • Minor or occasional conflict due to increased involvement in gambling or suspicion of increased involvement with gambling by person who gambles • Serious or regular conflict due to increased involvement in gambling or suspicion of increased involvement with gambling by person who gambles • Major or constant conflict due to increased involvement in gambling or suspicion of increased involvement with gambling by person who gambles • Loss of trust from relationship with person who gambles • Episodic distortion of relationship roles (infantilising the person gambling, others including children having to take parental type role) • Significant disruption to other relationships due to emotional and/or material demands of trying to manage relationship with person who gambles • Episodic distortion of relationship between affected others (ie. Spouse of person who gambles using children of relationship as confidant) • Incidence or escalation of family violence or intimate partner violence	• Contemplation of separation or rejection from relationship with person who gambles • Actual separation or rejection from relationship with person who gambles and potentially related others • Loss of other relationships due to emotional and/or material demands of trying to manage or remaining in relationship with person who gambles • Social isolation due to feelings of shame or being stigmatised • Loss of relationship (temporary or permanent) with spouse, partner, children, family, friends or community • Distortion of relationship roles (infantilising the person gambling, others including children having to take parental type role) • Incidence or escalation of family violence or intimate partner violence	• Feelings of guilt over ending relationship with person who gambles and potential impact • Social isolation due to ongoing estrangement from other relationships • Vulnerability to continuing in ongoing unhealthy relationship with person who gambles (episodic reconciliations) for reasons of guilt or inadequacy • Inability or reluctance to participate in social functions at gambling venues to protect person who gambles • Ongoing resentment and shame within relationship with person who gambles • Relationship rebuilding or reconciliation • Ongoing involvement of family court in parenting or co-parenting • Long term damage or estrangement from person who gambles and potentially related others • Ongoing distortion of relationship roles (infantilising the person gambling, others including children having to take parental type role or confidant role) • Inability to form trusting relationships with others or hypervigilance within relationships • Incidence or escalation of family violence or intimate partner violence
Emotional or Psychological Distress	• Feelings of frustration over person who gamble’s behaviour • Anxiety when person who gambles does not respond to normal communication methods • Emotional and psychological distress caused by difference to own value system • Emotional or psychological distress of feelings of suspicion or being lied to • Reduced feelings of self-worth • Feelings of shame or guilt • Loss of feeling safe and secure in life • Increased feelings of inadequacy or personal failing because of inability to help person who gambles • Emotional or psychological distress from being manipulated or threatened (threats to the affected other or threats of self harm by person who gambles) • Perceptions of being stigmatised • Anxiety when person who gambles disappears for extended periods of time without contact (days) • Emotional or psychological distress of being blamed for other person’s gambling • Emotional or psychological distress at people arguing because of gambling behaviours (children) • Increased feelings of insecurity and vulnerability • Emotional or psychological distress caused by other harms • Loss of “face” or reputation due to impact of other harms • Loss of sense of future or ability to get ahead • Increasing feelings of powerlessness • Guilt over harms to other affected others • Increased feelings of anger and frustration • Fear and distress from follow up and harassment by creditors (legal and illegal) • Feelings of guilt if affected other was the person who introduced the person who gambles to gambling • Increased risk to emotional or psychological wellbeing of affected other in the care of the person who gambles due to their distraction or tiredness	• Extreme emotional or psychological distress in relation to other harms • Extreme emotional or psychological distress due to harm caused to other affected others • Extreme emotional or psychological distress caused by living in constant feelings of insecurity and vulnerability • Complete loss of feelings of self-worth and pride • Extreme shame • Extreme sense of hopelessness and powerlessness • Emotional or psychological distress of dealing with person who gambles problems including their distress, self harm, suicidal ideation or completion. • Loss of “face” or reputation (stigma) if person who gambles’ problem with gambling becomes publicly known • Emotional or psychological distress of supporting and/or assisting person who gambles to seek treatment • Extreme fear and distress from follow up and harassment by creditors (legal and illegal) • Grief and/or resentment for loss of security, lifestyle, relationship • Feelings of rejection that gambling is chosen over them	• Experienced and perceived stigma • Ongoing guilt and shame • Emotional and psychological impacts of supporting recovery or harm minimisation strategies including constant vigilance and behavioural adaptation • Ongoing feelings of insecurity and vulnerability • Ongoing emotional and psychological distress in relation to other harms • Ongoing emotional or psychological distress due to harm caused to other affected others • Ongoing emotional or psychological distress of vigilance to mental health status of person who gambles including distress, self harm, suicidal ideation or completion • Ongoing feelings of grief, resentment and anger
Decrements to Health	• Physical impacts of other harms • Biological manifestation of emotional and psychological distress eg. Feeling tired, increased blood pressure, loss of sleep, migraine, nausea, diarrhoea • Reduced levels of self-care: o nutrition o hygiene o sufficient sleep o compliance with medical care o physical activity o reduced quality of living circumstances (ie cannot afford heating) • Incidence of disease or injury due to reduced levels of self care • Increased risk due to gateway effect, interaction with, or exacerbation of other health risk factors (drinking, smoking, illegal substances) • Increased risk due to gateway to, interaction with, or exacerbation of morbidities (depression, anxiety, biophysical chronic disease) • Increased experience of family violence due to involvement with person who gambles • Incidence of self-harm • Increased risk to physical wellbeing of affected other in the care of the person who gambles due to their distraction or tiredness	• Onset of health condition due to exacerbation of risk factors or continued stress from other harms • Physical impacts of living rough due to homelessness, including increased risk of disease, violence and impact of poor living conditions • Experience of violence due to involvement with person who gambles • Medical emergency (including mortality) due to onset, exacerbation, or failure to diagnose condition due to impacts of person who gamble’s behaviours • Serious self-harm • Attempted (or completed) suicide	• Ongoing disability or decrement to health through attempted suicide or other forms of self-harm • Ongoing increased risk of disease or decrement to health due to legacy effects of risk factors or poor self-care • Ongoing disability or decrement to health due to other medical conditions exacerbated or advanced due to involvement with person who gambles
Cultural Harm	• Reduced engagement in cultural rituals • Culturally based shame in relation to cultural roles and expectations • Reduction of contribution to community and cultural practices of the community • Reduction of cultural practices • Reduced connection to cultural community • Harm to individual through reduced connection to community and culture in terms of increased social exclusion or isolation	• Extreme cultural shame in relation to culturally based roles and expectations • Loss of contribution to community • Impact (loss) on cultural practices • Damaged or lost connection to community and culture • Damage to individual through reduced or lost connection to community	• Ongoing (including intergenerational) cultural shame in relation to culturally based roles and expectations • Ongoing reduction or loss of contribution to community • Ongoing reduction or loss of cultural practices • Ongoing loss of connection to community • Ongoing (intergenerational)damage to individual through reduced connection to community
Reduced Performance at Work or Study	• Reduced performance due to tiredness or distraction • Increased absenteeism due to time spent supporting or addressing problems of person who gambles • Reduced availability to contribute to the community through volunteer work	• Theft or fraud involving employment or educational institution • Loss of job, suspension or exclusion from educational institution • Exacerbation or contribution to other harms due to job loss (including loss of wage) • Impact on others of loss of job or education	• Reduced opportunity for employment or enrolment due to past poor performance or criminal activity • Trans-generational impact of loss of income and reduced future ability to participate in employment • Ongoing impact in participation in volunteer work (linked to reputation and restriction of activities)
Criminal Activity	• Victim of crime from person who gambles – petty theft of items or small amounts of cash. • Vulnerability to illegal activities that can provide fast access to funds • Engagement in crimes of opportunity - petty theft including from family members • Engagement in crimes of opportunity - property crimes for funds, illicit lending, fraudulent efforts to attain funds • Engagement in crimes of duress - relating to repaying debt such as drug trafficking and prostitution	• Victim of crime from person who gambles –fraud • Victim of crime from person who gambles – significant theft of money or items • Victim of crime from involvement of person who gambles in illegal activities • Arrest and/or conviction of criminal activity of opportunity • Arrest and/or conviction of criminal activity of duress • Arrest and/or conviction of criminal activity of negligence	• Ongoing impacts from being victim of crime • Impact of criminal record on future employment opportunities, voluntary and community opportunities, travel restrictions • Disruption to relationships of custodial sentence • Ongoing impact on spouse, partner, child, family and friends due to impact of criminal record or custodial sentence through other mechanisms • Trans-generational impact of criminal record or custodial sentence • Shame and stigma of criminal conviction or involvement in criminal activity
Lifecourse and Intergenerational Harms • Delay in life course events and matters of financial security and achievement • Generational loss relating to financial security or financial achievement (ongoing impact caused by loss of major asset, superannuation) • Loss of lifecourse events such as engagement/marriage/having children (generational loss) • Loss of primary relationships and social connection (including parents/children/community) • Homelessness • Having to move towns / states due to impact of person who gambles or other harms • Incarceration