Differences in Gambling Disorder Recovery Capital Toolkits in Mothers Versus Childless Women.

This study focused on mothers and childless women in recovery from a gambling disorder (GD) in the context of risk society. Mothers with GD suffer from dual social stigma as gamblers and as women who put their children at risk. Mothers in "risk society" tend to recognize that their choices can affect their children's future. The recovery capital (RC) toolkit comprises internal and external resources and barriers enacted in recovery. This longitudinal study: (a) compared the RC toolkits of mothers versus childless women and their effects on these women's dropout and relapse rates; (b) explored the resources and barriers that predict dropout and relapse in each group. Analysis of the clinical data of 211 women with GD (N = 146 mothers) who received cognitive behavioral therapy for 16 weeks in Spain indicated that mothers reported lower levels of education and were from more disadvantaged socioeconomic groups, were older, and developed gambling-related problems in older age. Mothers had significantly lower relapse rates but not lower dropout rates. There were more personal predictors of dropout among childless women, whereas low levels of family support and the absence of gambling debts predicted dropout in the mothers' group. These findings were interpreted by combining the concepts of risk society and recovery capital in action, highlight the differences between resources and barriers in the RC toolkits used by mothers versus childless women and their interplay with the sociocultural contexts of risk society and childfree lifestyles. Therapists and policymakers should consider these differences during recovery. Public Policy Relevance Statement: Women with gambling disorders cope with multiple challenges during their recovery, especially if they are also mothers. This study compared and examined mothers' versus childless women's recovery capital toolkits and their effect on dropout and relapse rates. The differences between the two are interpreted by the interplay between these toolkits and the sociocultural contexts that mothers and childless women encounter in their daily lives. Policymakers and therapists should consider these contexts and the ways they may enhance or hinder women's recovery from gambling disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]