The Social and Psychological Impact of Gambling in the Cree Communities of Northern Québec
The In Search of Peace of Mind Project
(Data collection complete, data analysis in progress)
In small isolated communities of the Cree territory, gambling traditionally brought people together in a social activity that redistributed wealth within a closed system. In the past ten to twenty years gaming and gambling activities have increased as the population has grown in size, social complexity, and wealth. The “In Search of Peach of Mind” project was developed at the request of the Cree Board of Health Social Services of James Bay (CBHSSJB), and represents a partnership between academics (K. Gill, J. Derevensky) and representatives of the CBHSSJB (J.Torrie). A detailed survey of gambling, addiction and mental health was conducted using semi-structured and structured instruments in randomly selected respondents (n=510) from 4 Cree communities. Analyses of the data found that 65.2% of the total sample took part in a gambling/gaming activity over the past year. Approximately 8.6% of the individuals who had participated in any gambling or gaming activities over the past year were categorized in the high risk problem gambling category, using the Canadian Problem Gambling Index. Problem gamblers showed significantly higher levels of psychological problems, including depression and anxiety, compared to low risk gamblers. In addition, problem gambling was associated with higher rates of cigarette smoking and current substance abuse. Approximately 42% of the problem gamblers were found to have a concurrent substance abuse problem. The high rates of lifetime comorbidity between problem gambling, nicotine dependence, substance abuse and other psychological problems suggest that for some Cree adults, gambling is part of a pattern of high-risk behaviour that carry significant negative long-term health consequences. These results suggest that interventions for gambling disorders should not focus on gambling alone, but rather the constellation of dysfunctional behaviours that pose a risk to “Peace of Mind.”
- Full Report: The Social and Psychological Impact of Gambling in the CreeCommunities of Northern Québec. Report to FQRSC. July 2010
- Highlights Report: The Social and Psychological Impact of Gambling in the Cree Communities of Northern Québec. Highlights of the report on gambling and addictions.
- The In Search of Peace of Mind Project video presentation [click to view]
- Research project in collaboration with Network for Aboriginal Mental Health Research (NAMHR):http://www.namhr.ca/