GAMBLER’S PARTNER: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF

SPOUSES OF ONLINE GAMBLING ADDICTS DURING COVID19

PANDEMIC

An Undergraduate Thesis Presented to the

Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, Universidad De

Manila

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the

Degree in Bachelor of Science in Psychology

By

MAXINE MERL T. ANTONIO

MARY JOY A. GUBAT

CLARISSA A. MATEO

JERRYLYN E. MASANGKAY

CARMELA J. MATIONG

JAMAICA H. ORILLANO

April 2022
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

Title Page …………………………………………………………………………........

Table of Contents …………………………………………………………....……........
List of Figures ……………………………………………………………………….....

CHAPTER

I. INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ……………….………………………..…… 1
Objectives of the Study ……………………...………………........…... 2
Statement of the Problem ……………………………….....…….…… 3
Purpose of the Study ……………………...…………….........…..….…3
Significance of the Study ………...……………………….……........... 4
Scope and Limitation ………………………..........………….......…... 5

II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURES

Thematic Review ……….………………………………........…..……. 6

Online Gambling Addiction ……………………………............6
Online Gambling During Pandemic ……………........…….…...7
Online Gambling Addicts’ Spouse ……………..........…….…...9
Synthesis ………………………….………………………..............….. 11
Theoretical Foundation ………...………………..…………….......…...12
Conceptual Framework ………………………..……….......…........… 14
Definition of Terms …………………….…………..........…….…..…. 15

III. METHODOLOGY

Research Design ………………………………………...………...….. 17

Research Locale …………………………………………….…….. 17
Sample and Sampling Technique ………………………………… 18
Research Instrument ……………………………………………… 19
Interview: IDI …………….……………………………………….. 19
Data Analysis ……………………………………………………... 20
Ethical Considerations ……………………………………………. 21
 List of Figures

Figure Number Title Page

1 Conceptual Framework 11
 1

Chapter I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Due to immense pressure that the Covid-19 brought until now, people struggles
even more especially to financial aspect. According to the International Labour
Organization, 81 million had lost their job due to the immediate spreading of Covid-19 in
Asia-Pacific labour market. (Press release) When some of the countries’ economy
collapsed, lot of company decreased their employees hours and staffs. This wide-scale
financial disruption has raised awareness of the people with its negative outcome. Since
employment is the main source of income to every one, a lot of people felt in crucial
stage on how to survive in the time of pandemic when they haven’t source of income.

Gambling is one of the easy earning but a big and rapid growing business, but
produce various personal matter, emotional strain, social impacts, employment issues and
legal problems. But most especially on their family, friends and community.
(Productivity Commission, 1999) The latest estimate of the prevalence of problem
gambling in Minnesota is that 15 and 33 percent of gambling revenue are generated by
individuals with problem gambling, also the 1994 study found 65 percent of the general
adult population had participated in gambling activity during the previous year.
(Department of human services, 2018) Nonetheless increased drastically during Covid-19
with a four percent reported an overall gambling increase during pandemic in the general
population study conducted in Sweden collected of self report data from 2016; 51 percent
men, nine percent moderate-risk/problem gambler. (Hakansson, A., 2020) These
estimates, together with the increase in gambling games online because of the pandemic,
have the higher chance to impact on the lives of many gamblers and on the lives of their
spouses, partners, and other family members. (V.A. Dickson-Swfit, E.L. James., et al.,
2005)
 2

Factors that the spouse of the compulsive gambler experience are affected by
significant social, psychological, and economic stresses that can be directly related to the
partner’s gambling activities. These stresses can be observed in a variety of dysfunctional
coping responses. (Lorenz, B. Shuttlesworth, D., 1983) Furthermore it also include
financial hardship, impaired family relationships, diminished emotional and physical
health, family conflict, mistrust, family neglect, communication breakdown and
confusion about family roles and responsibilities. There is also consistent evidence that
gambling problems are associated with family violence and that they are transmitted from
one generation to the next. (Dowling, N. 2014) Still, the need of understanding the
partner/spouse of gambler’s issues are essential to raise for the development of effective
ways of healing in gamblers and protecting their love ones. (Holdsworth, L., Nuske, L., et
al., 2013)

Objectives of the Study

The following are the objectives of this study:

1. To know the spouse psychological and emotional experience in the changes of her
husband during pandemic because of his addiction to online gambling

2. To know the spouse psychological and emotional experience in the changes in

herself during pandemic because of her husband addiction to online gambling

3. To know the spouse psychological and emotional experience in the changes of

their married life during pandemic because of her husband addiction to online gambling
 3

Statement of the Problem

Gambling is one of the easy earning but a big and rapid growing business, but
produce various personal matter, emotional strain, social impacts, employment issues and
legal problems. But most especially on their family, friends and community.
(Productivity Commission, 1999) The latest estimate of the prevalence of problem
gambling in Minnesota is that 15 and 33 percent of gambling revenue are generated by
individuals with problem gambling, also the 1994 study found 65 percent of the general
adult population had participated in gambling activity during the previous year.
(Department of human services, 2018) These estimates, together with the increase in
gambling games online because of the pandemic, have the higher chance to impact on the
lives of many gamblers and on the lives of their spouses, partners, and other family
members. (V.A. Dickson-Swfit, E.L. James., et al., 2005)

A few overarching questions guided this research throughout this study: What are
the changes that spouse experience after her husband became addicted to online gambling
during covid19 pandemic? What are the spouse emotional and psychological experiences
having an addicted husband to online gambling?

Taking the time to hear the voice of the spouses of online gambling addicts
through the use of online open-ended interviews allows us to capture a glimpse of the
world as they see it from their own unique perspectives.
 4

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to describe the lived experiences of the spouses of
online gambling addicts. The phenomenological approach, a qualitative research
methodology designed to explore a phenomenon and its invariant structure, was therefore
well-suited for this study as it seeks to describe the meaning of several individuals’
experiences of a common phenomenon (Cresswell, 1998). More specifically,
Moustakas’s (1994) transcendental phenomenology was chosen for this study, as it
emphasizes the value of lived experiences.

Significance of the Study

This study aimed to describe the emotional and psychological experiences of the
spouses of online gambling addicts. A lot of previous research about online gambling
only focuses on the gamblers itself but never studied their spouses which are the most
affected among other people around life of the gambling addicts.

This phenomenological study can contribute to knowledge for the future

development of effective strategies that both assist people with gambling problems and
protect their spouses. The research outcomes may inform readers what are the actual
experiences happening on the other half of online gambling addicts. The findings of this
study aim to enable that spouse’s perspective are also important in studying gambling
problems.
 5

Scope and Limitations

The study’s focus is to describe the experiences of spouses of online gambling

addicts during the Covid-19 pandemic, specifically to online cock fighting. It examines
the several signs changes to the gambling addicts through their spouse’s point of view,
and the spouse emotional and psychological experiences from those changes. This study
will be specifically conducted through online and the participants will be selected only
living in the area of Tondo, Manila.

The study will not extend to the experiences of the spouse of online gambling
addicts before covid19 pandemic, this only focuses to their experience during pandemic.
 6

Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter discusses the review of related literatures and studies, theoretical and
conceptual framework, synthesis and the definition of terms.

Thematic Review

Online Gambling Addiction

Foreign

In recent studies about brain imaging, it revealed that the brains of gambling
addicts and internet addicts resemble those of alcoholics and other substance addicts. In
various forms of addictions most likely affect his brain in the same way: bursts of
pleasure that must be heightened in order to feel stimulated, the absence of which would
result in painful withdrawal symptoms (Lee-Chua, 2017).

Also it is argued in other studies that there are three groups of people with
gambling addiction, first group are classified as “typical gamblers” these are the people
who have been conditioned to go after wins even after they lose. The second group is
those who gamble because they are anxious or depressed. They are more emotionally
involved in the act. And the last group, are antisocial and impulsive. They find it difficult
to control their actions, even though they are rationally aware that they are having a
negative impact on their work and relationships (Blaszczynski and Nower, 2000).

Gambling addict can be classified based on their approach as a gambler; their

actions, and emotional attachment in gambling and also it is said that a person whose
addict to gambling shows burst of pleasure that must be intensified and failure to do so
 7

results in painful withdrawal symptoms (restlessness/irritability, depressed mood, poor

concentration and obsessive thoughts by Wray and Dickerson, 1981).

Online Gambling During Pandemic

Local

In the research governed by Perea, Prasetyo, and Nadlifatin (2021), they have
stated on their study entitled “Rise of Online Cockfighting Derby in the Time of New
Normal for Gamecock Players: A Measure of Stress in the midst of COVID-19
Pandemic” that there are factors that causes the players to be stressed on or before the
game duration. More so, researchers specified that gamblers are pleasured on the worthy,
satisfaction, and relatedness that this game gives. Thus, they are able to still play it like
the usual game it was during the face to face battle with the help of internet, that some of
them precisely learn and exercise to effectively use. They also stated that they get
satisfaction through winning the prize from the game, that lets them be eager to continue
playing. Also, gamblers are delighted in the fact that they feel the relatedness whenever
they are with their peers, for they are sharing the similar interest with them. However,
there are also stress that occurs throughout the session, even if their main agenda is to
relax and release their stress by playing, that is possible to affect their routine and way of
communicating to the people around them.

Foreign

A study conducted by Gainsbury, Wood, Räsänen et al. (2013) entitled

“Gambling Addiction on the Internet.” stated as a result of being literally left to their own
devices during COVID-19-related lockdowns, c. When opposed to land-based gambling,
online gambling offers players the convenience of accessing games from the comfort of
their own homes at any time of day or night. This ease of access has been raised as a
 8

potential source of worry by researchers, regulators, and policymakers. Online gambling,

in particular, is frequently portrayed as a 'risky' kind of gambling that increases the
likelihood of developing a gambling addiction.

Between February and March of 2020, the Canadian government's statistical

agency recorded a decline in employment of 5.5 percent. As a direct consequence of this,
as of May 2020, more than 10.5 million applications for financial help through the
COVID-19 program of the federal government, known as the Canada Emergency
Response Benefit, had been made. This widespread disruption to the financial system has
prompted worries regarding the possible impact that it could have on public health
outcomes and risk factors. (Statistics Canada 2020).

Gambling behavior throughout the pandemic has been characterized by stable or

decreasing involvement; however, some at-risk groups characterized by their
vulnerability to high-risk gambling and alcohol misuse have increased their gambling
activity (Hkansson 2020). However, because self-report research methodologies have
been used, the data that we have is limited, so additional research is required. Few
research have given analyses of online behavioral data as of the time this article was
written; nevertheless, some of those studies do reveal minor online gambling activity
when compared with pre-pandemic levels, overall (Auer et al. 2020). The limited access
to land-based venues, disruptions to professional sporting competitions, financial
instability, and other factors have all been linked to falling rates of gambling participation
in certain jurisdictions, which has led to a decline in those jurisdictions' overall gambling
participation rates (Auer et al. 2020; Gambling Commission 2020).

The influence of the pandemic on gambling has been a source of concern for
numerous actors since the outbreak of the disease. Due to the constraints imposed by
public health authorities, such as physical separation and lockdowns, many actors are
concerned that the transition from land-based gambling to online gambling would occur
in the context of the closure of many land-based gaming enterprises (Davies,
2020;Griffiths et al., 2020; King et al., 2020). The issue is concerning since internet
 9

gambling is regarded as a high-risk activity due to its accessibility, rapidity, and, among
other things, the anonymity it affords its participants (Gainsbury et al., 2015; Hing et al.,
2015). The study revealed that families have a key role in the development of gambling
addictions in the face of a pandemic. In addition, it should be stated that the number of
people who gamble has increased, and that they now have easier access to gambling sites
because of the internet.

Online Gambling Addicts’ Spouse

Foreign

Gambling problems can also lead to relationship breakdown, separation and

divorce (Downs & Woolrych, 2010). Key issues leading to relationship problems may
include financial problems, breakdown of trust between the couple, and perceived lack of
commitment to the relationship (Downs & Woolrych, 2010). Patford (2009) similarly
found that, for partners, loss of trust was amongst the most disturbing consequences of
problem gambling. Indeed, Downs and Woolrych (2010) suggest that trust-breaking
behaviour, such as dishonesty, lying, deceit and betrayal, underlies many of the
relationship issues experienced by people with gambling problems and can lead to
separation and divorce. Notwithstanding these challenges, some partners do remain with
their gambling partner. According to Hodgins and el-Guebaly (2004), some partners
remain to provide informal control of finances and support for their partner, even though
they may have concerns about the loss of financial security and other negative
consequences. Others stay because of love for the person, fear of being alone, a belief
that staying is beneficial for their children, and/or lack of financial resources (Dickson-
Swift et al., 2005).

Pathological gambler and his spouse have different perspectives on the severity of
the repercussions. It’s evidently that the spouse, not the gambler, was usually always the
one who assessed the consequences to be more distressing. Additionally, it is also
 10

discussed that the result of less communication between the parties, the spouse of a
gambler have felt neglected, which made her more sensitive to the social implications of
gaming. Moreover, in some research spouses reported the highest number of harms
within the emotional/psychological and relationship domains, whereas gamblers
experienced a higher number of harms in all other domains (financial, work/study, and
social deviance) (Jeffrey et al.2019).

A family's development, functioning, and well-being are all profoundly

influenced by one another. When it comes to gambling, families play a significant part in
the development of the habit, and they are also negatively impacted when a family
member engages in disordered gambling. Even though a growing body of research
suggests that genetics play a significant role in the risk for the development of problem
gambling (Grant et al., 2015; Lang et al., 2016), psychosocial factors play an equally
significant role in the initiation of gambling (Grant, Leppink, Redden, Odlaug, and
Chamberlain, 2015).

Emotional difficulties, social ramifications, and work challenges are all possible
outcomes of problems of gambling addiction. They can also have a big impact on
people's families and communities. Researchers concluded that a person with such
addiction displays, high levels of anger and conflict, as well as low levels of clear and
effective communication, less independence, less engagement in intellectual and cultural
activities, a lack of commitment and support, little direct expression of feelings, and less
participation in social and recreational activities, characterize the family environments of
people with gambling problems (Ciarrocchi & Hohmann, 1989; Ciarrocchi & Reinert,
1993; Dowling et al., 2009).

The effects of gambling addiction on family members are primarily concentrated

on spouses, It is said that one difference between gambling and other addictive behavior
problems is the absence of physical signs and symptoms, and that the person struggling
often lies about his or her increasing difficulties, and when a sudden discovery of
 11

gambling problem is devastating and traumatic for a family member (McComb et al.
2009).

It is common that a family with a gambling issue will probably suffer financially
as one of the effects of their addiction. Since money can be lost in a matter of minutes
when gambling, the addicted person will resort to borrowing money. Moreover, a
gambler can also resort to utilizing money set aside for family needs, lying about the
extent of his profits, and selling and pawning his own or family members' possessions in
order to get money (Lesieur, 1984).

Synthesis

Gambling addicts' brains resemble those of alcoholics and substance abusers.

They find it difficult to control their actions, even though they are rationally aware that
they are having a negative impact on their work and relationships. Online gambling, in
particular, is typically described as a 'risky' sort of gambling that enhances the potential
of acquiring a gambling addiction. The online gambling industry has been growing in the
past few years, because of the pandemic, many people are also experiencing increased
feelings of boredom, loneliness, and financial stress, which can lead them to gamble.
Also, the influence of the pandemic on gambling has been a topic of concern for various
people since the outbreak of the pandemic. Not just that, Families play also a major
influence in the development of gambling addictions in the face of a pandemic.

With all these we can assume that a gambling addiction can lead to a relationship
difficulties, such as, breakup, separation, and divorce. Some partners stay with their
gambling partner in order to give informal financial control and support. Others stay
because of love for the person, fear of being alone, a belief that staying is beneficial for
their children, and/or lack of financial resources
 12

In relation to the research being conducted, we will describe the emotional and
psychological experiences of the spouse of online gambling addicts to explore their own
perspective, as research about their lives are only limited.

Theoretical Foundation

This study was anchored Transcendental phenomenology by Husserl. He is

Edmund Gustav Albrecht Husserl was a German philosopher and mathematician who
established the school of phenomenology and was born in 1859. According to him
transcendental phenomenology is a philosophical approach to qualitative research
methodology with the goal of comprehending human experiences (Moustakas, 1994). A
true transcendental phenomenology is based on the idea of putting aside any ideas
(epoche) in order to experience phenomena through clear lenses, allowing the genuine
meaning of events to emerge organically with and within their own uniqueness. Epochè is
a concept of consciously putting present thoughts, attitudes, and judgments that are prone
to prejudice aside (Moustakas, 1994, p. 85). Epochè, according to Blum (2012), is "the
suspension of this natural attitude”. According Husserl, natural Attitude is the way we
live in the world in which we assume we are independent of the things around us, that is,
we egoistically consider ourselves to be the subject amongst a world of objects, the
"measurer" or determinant of values, while also assuming that everything is governed by
various laws; these scientific presumptions impose concretion and precision on the
natural world that is wholly foreign to the actuarial world. Contrary to this, any judgment
regarding the reality of the world's objects in general is avoided by the phenomenological
attitude. To put it another way, it refuses to accept the general notion that all objects in
the world exist as natural realities. Through epochè, one can perceive and accept what is
being communicated without preexisting views, thoughts, or judgments tainting its purity
(Moustakas, 1994).
 13

This theory is relevant and related to our study since it will help the researchers to
approach the study by conducting it through phenomenology or “explor[ing] the lived
experience of a phenomenon” (Padgett’s, 2008). In which this study aims to understand
the lived experiences of spouses of the online gambling addicts, with this the researchers
will apply the phenomenological attitude wherein we sought to illuminate the life of
spouses with gambling addicts without bias judgment. Aiming to develop transcendental
subjectivity, the researcher hopes to get a greater knowledge of the frequency with which
the spouse gambles each month, as well as the factors that contribute to his or her
compulsive gambling behavior. Methods From a phenomenological approach, gambling
is an example of compulsive behavior, and the experience of gambling should be treated
as such as well. This study will gather the information that will be verified by members to
guarantee that the disclosed essences are relevant to the participants' personal
experiences, particularly those involving gambling, as described by the participants, and
that the data is correct.

A transcendental phenomenology approach will be used by the researchers to

investigate the relationship between the spouses' current state and their various personal
relationships, such as their parent-child relationship and their marital relationship, both of
which have been identified as factors in the spouses' gambling habits in this study.
Instead of using words to accomplish this aim, it is the goal of this theoretical to
participate in the study of a person's lived experience of occurrences in order to underline
the universal essences of those occurrences rather than to use words to accomplish this
goal. Putting away personal beliefs, opinions, and presumptions allows the researcher to
concentrate on the participants' perceptions of the event and discern its central theme. In
this case, the researcher adopts the position of a tabula rasa, or a blank slate, and draws
on the experiences of participants to get an understanding of the essence of the gambling
phenomena under investigation, which is referred to as a generative hypothesis in the
scientific community.
 14

Conceptual Framework

In order to structure the discussion on the experiences of spouses

with their online gambling addict partner. Researchers used Transcendental

Phenomenology since it was well suited to examining the experiences of spouses within
their online gambling addict partners during the Covid 19 pandemic.

Transcendental Phenomenology is focused less on the

interpretation of the researchers and more on a description of the experiences of

individual. (Moustakas, 1994) A Phenomenological approach that provides an
opportunity to distinguished the unique experiences of the spouses with their online
gambling partner. Transcendental Phenomenology has immense part of the study since
the unique perspective of participants was examined. The researchers investigates the
phenomena and give meaning of the participant’s experience through research procedure.
After identifying the phenomenon to study, researchers must bracket (Moustakas, 1994)
the information provided by the participants through video call interview with
participant’s field note and observation. Participants response is highly appreciated and
dispense grasp of their experiences. Data collected by the researchers will evaluate to
identify insignificant data. Data was analyzed for thematic significance and textural
description to identify significant statement of the participants. Lastly, the researcher
starts to gather meaning from these significant statements into themes. The themes are
then used to write a description of what the participants experienced or called as
structural description. This description presents the essence of the phenomenon.

A visual representation of the conceptual framework used for this study can be seen in
figure 1 below.
 15

Gamblers’s Partner : A phenomenological

Study of Spouses of Online Gambling
Addicts during Covid 19 Pandemic

What are the changes that spouse What are the spouse emotional and
experience after her husband became psychological experience having an
addicted to online gambling during covid 19 addicted husband to online
pandemic? gambling?

Transcendental Phenomenology

Forming a Participant Research Data Data Writing

Concept Engagement Question Collection Analyze

Definition of Terms

The following definitions are provided to ensure uniformity and understanding of

these terms throughout the study.

Addiction - inability to stop engaging in an activity despite the fact that it is

harmful to one's mental and physical health.

Internet - a vast network that connects computers all over the world and provides
different online services such as gambling.
 16

Gambler - an individual who gambles.

Social media - a computer-based technology that provides information through

virtual networks and communities.

Spouse - a wife, considered in relation to their partner.

 17

Chapter III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter describes the research design, research locale, samples and sampling
techniques used, instrumentation, procedure and the data analysis.

Research Design

This research would utilize "Qualitative Research with Phenomenological

methodology" for it aims to learn the experiences, perspective and point of view of the
spouses of gambling addicts. With regard to this, the researchers would conduct an
"interview" set-up for the respondents in order for them to gather and obtain the
necessary data that they need. Through this interview, the respondents could provide
answers without any limitations and hindrances, but can answer it as truthfully as they
are.

Research Locale

The study will be conducted in Tondo, Manila Philippines as it was suitable for
our research topics and agenda which is the “Gambler’s Partner: A Phenomenological
Study Of Spouses of Online Gambling Addicts During Covid-19 Pandemic”. The
researcher also gathers a participant for the interview which will be done virtual or online
via zoom or google meet. This study will be implemented on the spouses of a cockfight
gambler. The researcher chooses virtual interviews in consideration of the situation in the
Covid-19 pandemic for making sure that the respondent will still be following a health
 18

protocol. The studies will be conducted in the second semester of the school year 2022-
2023.

Sample and Sampling Technique

The researchers will use qualitative method to understand the phenomenon from
the perspectives of those involved. In-depth interviews were used to better understand the
spouses of online cock fighting addicts. Participants in the study describe their lived
experiences with a gambling-addicted spouse, including the progression over time and
the consequences. To achieve this we will be using purposive sampling method also
known as judgmental, selective, or subjective sampling, is a non-probability sampling
method in which the correct sample size depends on the goal of the study and the makeup
of the population, and there is no clear-cut solution. It is the process of picking a group of
people from a population in such a way that they represent the broader group from which
they were chosen is known as sampling (Fraenkel & Wallen, 1993). The researchers will
have three participants who will take part in this research since they met the criteria for
selecting sample participants for the study. The criteria for inclusion included a.) A
resident in Tondo, Manila b.)Has a spouse that is addicted to gambling on online cock
fight c.) The addiction started during pandemic. The aim of this type of selection was to
choose only those respondents who would provide complete and comprehensive
information in response to research questions (Wasilewska, 2008). Participants were
informed of their study responsibilities, such as their willingness to discuss their
gambling habits, and that the interview would be audio recorded.
 19

Research Instrument

The researcher has used this method in which information is acquired with the
help of interview which prepared exclusively for the specific purpose. An interview with
consists of approximately a 23 open-ended questions. The questions will be asked on an
online interview set up for the safety purposes of the interviewer and interviewee with the
request to answer the questions to what extent of information may be given to the
researchers. The interview was developed with an intention to find out the perspective of
the spouse regarding the online gambling addiction of their partners.

Interview

The in-depth interview questions fell into 4 main categories:

1. Demographic : We asked participant’s basic demographic questions: age, sex,

marital status, occupation. These data are used to determine the variables needed
in the study

2. Changes in the husband : We determined how often the gambler interact or spend
time with his children, how often his partner quarrels and his overall behavior
within the family.

3. Changes in herself: We asked the participant’s difficulties and struggles

regarding the behavior of the husband, the overall impact in terms of
psychological and emotional changes, and how the participant handle the issue.
 20

4. Changes in their marital relationship: we gathered information about the

participant’s marriage life during the pandemic, experiences before and after the
husband became addicted on online gambling and overcoming these experience

Data Analysis

We used a slightly modified version of Moustakas’s (1994) phenomenological

analysis. Before we collected the data, we detailed our presuppositions. In the past 2
years during pandemic, We have had friends, neighbors and even relatives that seemed to
lose themselves in online cock fighting to the point of losing a lot of their money and
even refusing to socialize and we witnessed how their spouses being most affected to it.
Their spouses used the word “addiction” to describe what their husband experiencing and
this has likely influenced our own perception. After bracketing these assumptions and
collecting the data, we begin by listing and grouping each piece of data for individual
participants. Next, we eliminate redundant data. After this, we cluster the remaining data
into Spouses of online gambling addicts 3 themes. We then checked these themes against
the participant’s data again to make sure that the themes were actually expressed in the
data. We then separate the themes into textural and structural categories for each
participant. After this we write textural-structural descriptions for each individual
participant. Last, we write a composite textural-structural synthesis describing the
essence of the phenomenon.
 21

Ethical Considerations

We researchers assured that all of the participants’ identities of this study will not
be shared with anyone and all of the participants’ answers to our interview questions will
remain confidential. Only the researchers of this study will have an access to their data.
Moreover, before the study will be done we will provide an inform consent to the
participants with the purpose of protecting each participant's welfare, ensure the
participants are voluntary and informed, and promote positive feelings before and after
completing our study. Lastly, the participants can quit anytime or refuse to answers our
given questions in the interview.