A small body of research has shown that gambling problems are elevated among homeless populations and suggests the complexity of relationships between homelessness, gambling and a broad range of other social and addiction issues. This research explored patterns of gambling and coexisting issues at the level of the individuals’ experiences. We describe the experiences of 17 residents of a transitional housing service who had experienced gambling harm as people who gamble and/or affected others, using a descriptive qualitative approach. Four themes, each with subthemes, were identified in the data. Participants described their histories, strong links between methamphetamine use and gambling and the importance of connectedness and family to recovery. Gambling was seldom an issue raised by professional services or divulged by the participants, nor was it described as a key factor in becoming homeless. General self-help strategies (such as distraction) were adapted by participants in attempts to modify or control their gambling. The present results stress the need to destigmatise gambling problems (even relative to methamphetamine use) and to provide gambling information and support through a broad range of social and health services in a way that resonates both with those affected those providing professional support.

一小部分研究表明，无家可归者中的赌博问题加剧，表明无家可归者，赌博与其他广泛的社会和成瘾问题之间关系的复杂性。这项研究从个人经验的角度探讨了赌博和共存问题的模式。我们使用描述性的定性方法，描述了17名过渡性住房服务业居民的赌博经历，他们遭受了赌博的伤害，成为赌博和/或影响他人的人。数据中确定了四个主题，每个主题都有子主题。参与者描述了他们的历史，使用甲基苯丙胺与赌博之间的紧密联系以及联系和家庭对康复的重要性。赌博很少是由专业服务引起或参与者透露的问题，它也没有被描述为成为无家可归的关键因素。参与者采用了一般的自助策略（例如分心）来尝试修改或控制其赌博。目前的结果强调，需要对赌博问题（甚至与甲基苯丙胺使用有关）进行污名化，并通过广泛的社会和卫生服务提供赌博信息和支持，以使其与那些提供专业支持的人产生共鸣。