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Qualitative exploration of gambling harm among UK veterans: normalisation, stigma and postservice escalation

Dana Dekel Orcid Logo, Adanma Ekenna Orcid Logo, Hillary Engward, Lauren R Godier-McBard, Chris Kay, Thomas Kersey, Matt Fossey, Simon Dymond Orcid Logo

BMJ Open, Volume: 16, Issue: 3, Start page: e109458

Swansea University Authors: Dana Dekel Orcid Logo, Adanma Ekenna Orcid Logo, Simon Dymond Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-109458

Abstract

Objective: This study explored the lived experiences of UK Armed Forces veterans affected by gambling-related harm. It examined how military culture, institutional practices and life transitions shaped gambling behaviours, barriers to help-seeking and the long-term impact on well-being. While quanti...

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Published in: BMJ Open
ISSN: 2044-6055 2044-6055
Published: BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. 2026
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71597
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It examined how military culture, institutional practices and life transitions shaped gambling behaviours, barriers to help-seeking and the long-term impact on well-being. While quantitative research has documented elevated gambling-related harm among veterans, little qualitative work has examined how veterans themselves understand, experience and navigate gambling harm across military and post-military contexts. Design: Reflexive thematic analysis of one-to-one semistructured interviews, covering topics such as the nature of participants&#x2019; gambling activities, the impact on their lives, pathways to gambling behaviours and help-seeking. Participants: Participants were UK veterans (n=14), aged 31&#x2013;60, including one female, from three service branches, all of whom self-identified as having experienced gambling-related harm. Results: Four interrelated themes were generated: (1) Gambling as normalised in both civilian and military contexts, reinforced by institutional routines and downtime activities; (2) Gambling as an emotional coping mechanism, shaped by institutional norms of stoicism and emotional control; (3) Stigma, silence and structural barriers to help-seeking, including fears of professional repercussions and (4) Escalation postdischarge, driven by isolation, unstructured time, digital gambling access and difficulties adjusting to civilian life. Participants reported concealment, debt and relational breakdowns, with some disclosing suicidal ideation linked to gambling harm. Conclusions: Gambling harm among UK veterans is shaped by a complex interplay of cultural, emotional and institutional factors. While gambling opportunities are embedded in military life, systems of support remain inconsistent and often punitive. Gambling remains under-recognised as a serious mental health issue within military and veteran care pathways. 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spelling 2026-04-27T10:59:11.9026221 v2 71597 2026-03-09 Qualitative exploration of gambling harm among UK veterans: normalisation, stigma and postservice escalation 7904c581b4da2217c348434c9f04f165 0000-0003-0137-5149 Dana Dekel Dana Dekel true false 7a89435c42c9c41d6946cdfc19c3831b 0000-0002-1348-5102 Adanma Ekenna Adanma Ekenna true false 8ed0024546f2588fdb0073a7d6fbc075 0000-0003-1319-4492 Simon Dymond Simon Dymond true false 2026-03-09 PSYS Objective: This study explored the lived experiences of UK Armed Forces veterans affected by gambling-related harm. It examined how military culture, institutional practices and life transitions shaped gambling behaviours, barriers to help-seeking and the long-term impact on well-being. While quantitative research has documented elevated gambling-related harm among veterans, little qualitative work has examined how veterans themselves understand, experience and navigate gambling harm across military and post-military contexts. Design: Reflexive thematic analysis of one-to-one semistructured interviews, covering topics such as the nature of participants’ gambling activities, the impact on their lives, pathways to gambling behaviours and help-seeking. Participants: Participants were UK veterans (n=14), aged 31–60, including one female, from three service branches, all of whom self-identified as having experienced gambling-related harm. Results: Four interrelated themes were generated: (1) Gambling as normalised in both civilian and military contexts, reinforced by institutional routines and downtime activities; (2) Gambling as an emotional coping mechanism, shaped by institutional norms of stoicism and emotional control; (3) Stigma, silence and structural barriers to help-seeking, including fears of professional repercussions and (4) Escalation postdischarge, driven by isolation, unstructured time, digital gambling access and difficulties adjusting to civilian life. Participants reported concealment, debt and relational breakdowns, with some disclosing suicidal ideation linked to gambling harm. Conclusions: Gambling harm among UK veterans is shaped by a complex interplay of cultural, emotional and institutional factors. While gambling opportunities are embedded in military life, systems of support remain inconsistent and often punitive. Gambling remains under-recognised as a serious mental health issue within military and veteran care pathways. Findings highlight the need for stigma-free, culturally informed interventions across the military life cycle, including routine screening, gambling harm education and trauma-informed care. Journal Article BMJ Open 16 3 e109458 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. 2044-6055 2044-6055 25 3 2026 2026-03-25 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-109458 COLLEGE NANME Psychology School COLLEGE CODE PSYS Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) Gambling Commission 2026-04-27T10:59:11.9026221 2026-03-09T10:59:37.0966588 Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences School of Psychology Dana Dekel 0000-0003-0137-5149 1 Adanma Ekenna 0000-0002-1348-5102 2 Hillary Engward 3 Lauren R Godier-McBard 4 Chris Kay 5 Thomas Kersey 6 Matt Fossey 7 Simon Dymond 0000-0003-1319-4492 8 71597__36600__735722ac54f747fb9dbed15a42c8bc07.pdf 71597.VOR.pdf 2026-04-27T10:56:30.3656364 Output 367328 application/pdf Version of Record true © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported (CC BY 4.0) license. true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title Qualitative exploration of gambling harm among UK veterans: normalisation, stigma and postservice escalation
spellingShingle Qualitative exploration of gambling harm among UK veterans: normalisation, stigma and postservice escalation
Dana Dekel
Adanma Ekenna
Simon Dymond
title_short Qualitative exploration of gambling harm among UK veterans: normalisation, stigma and postservice escalation
title_full Qualitative exploration of gambling harm among UK veterans: normalisation, stigma and postservice escalation
title_fullStr Qualitative exploration of gambling harm among UK veterans: normalisation, stigma and postservice escalation
title_full_unstemmed Qualitative exploration of gambling harm among UK veterans: normalisation, stigma and postservice escalation
title_sort Qualitative exploration of gambling harm among UK veterans: normalisation, stigma and postservice escalation
author_id_str_mv 7904c581b4da2217c348434c9f04f165
7a89435c42c9c41d6946cdfc19c3831b
8ed0024546f2588fdb0073a7d6fbc075
author_id_fullname_str_mv 7904c581b4da2217c348434c9f04f165_***_Dana Dekel
7a89435c42c9c41d6946cdfc19c3831b_***_Adanma Ekenna
8ed0024546f2588fdb0073a7d6fbc075_***_Simon Dymond
author Dana Dekel
Adanma Ekenna
Simon Dymond
author2 Dana Dekel
Adanma Ekenna
Hillary Engward
Lauren R Godier-McBard
Chris Kay
Thomas Kersey
Matt Fossey
Simon Dymond
format Journal article
container_title BMJ Open
container_volume 16
container_issue 3
container_start_page e109458
publishDate 2026
institution Swansea University
issn 2044-6055
2044-6055
doi_str_mv 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-109458
publisher BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.
college_str Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
department_str School of Psychology{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Psychology
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description Objective: This study explored the lived experiences of UK Armed Forces veterans affected by gambling-related harm. It examined how military culture, institutional practices and life transitions shaped gambling behaviours, barriers to help-seeking and the long-term impact on well-being. While quantitative research has documented elevated gambling-related harm among veterans, little qualitative work has examined how veterans themselves understand, experience and navigate gambling harm across military and post-military contexts. Design: Reflexive thematic analysis of one-to-one semistructured interviews, covering topics such as the nature of participants’ gambling activities, the impact on their lives, pathways to gambling behaviours and help-seeking. Participants: Participants were UK veterans (n=14), aged 31–60, including one female, from three service branches, all of whom self-identified as having experienced gambling-related harm. Results: Four interrelated themes were generated: (1) Gambling as normalised in both civilian and military contexts, reinforced by institutional routines and downtime activities; (2) Gambling as an emotional coping mechanism, shaped by institutional norms of stoicism and emotional control; (3) Stigma, silence and structural barriers to help-seeking, including fears of professional repercussions and (4) Escalation postdischarge, driven by isolation, unstructured time, digital gambling access and difficulties adjusting to civilian life. Participants reported concealment, debt and relational breakdowns, with some disclosing suicidal ideation linked to gambling harm. Conclusions: Gambling harm among UK veterans is shaped by a complex interplay of cultural, emotional and institutional factors. While gambling opportunities are embedded in military life, systems of support remain inconsistent and often punitive. Gambling remains under-recognised as a serious mental health issue within military and veteran care pathways. Findings highlight the need for stigma-free, culturally informed interventions across the military life cycle, including routine screening, gambling harm education and trauma-informed care.
published_date 2026-03-25T17:19:29Z
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