How people who experience problems with gambling experience the workplace: an interpretative phenomenological analysis study

This study explores how individuals who consider themselves to be having difficulties with gambling experienced their respective workplaces. Clinical implications emerging from this examination of the participants' experiences are proposed to potentially utilise the workplace as a point of reference to inform or enhance current treatment methods. Six adult individuals participated, having work experience and considering themselves having currently or formerly difficulties with gambling while being employed for at least six months. Data were collected in a semi-structured interview with each participant during which they shared their experiences. The Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to explore the data, focusing on the participants' experiences. Following data transcription and analysis, three superordinate themes with several respective subordinate themes emerged. The first superordinate theme, termed as ‘The Bluff’, examines gambling-related experiences of the participants. The second superordinate theme termed as ‘The Three S’s’ explores how the participants experienced certain private emotions or phenomena. The final superordinate theme termed as ‘The Experience of Self’ explores how the participants experienced themselves in the workplace as a result of their gambling.