Honesty, Control, and Openness as Protective Processes in Gambling-Involved Couples

Session Title

Poster session

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Start Date

27-5-2026 12:00 AM

Abstract

The Positive Play approach to responsible gambling emphasizes behaviors that promote honesty, control, and openness with a significant other about one’s gambling to protect against gambling harm. However, gambling harm is often defined narrowly at the individual level, overlooking harms experienced by romantic partners. Adopting a broader, relational definition of gambling harm, we examined whether honesty, control, and openness about one’s gambling with their partner functions as a protective factor for partner-relevant outcomes, including financial stress, relationship satisfaction, and financial infidelity. Ninety-one couples completed self-report measures of these outcomes and a novel measure of honesty, control, and openness about one’s gambling. Regression analyses showed that greater honesty, control, and openness predicted lower financial stress for one’s partner (β = −.14, p = .042), higher relationship satisfaction for oneself (β = .37, p < .001) and one’s partner (β = .30, p = .001), and lower engagement in financial infidelity by oneself (β = −.38, p < .001) and by one’s partner (β = −.18, p = .018). These findings demonstrate that consequences of Positive Play behaviors extend beyond the individual gambler and are associated with reduced relational and financial harm according to both partners’ reports, underscoring the value of couple-level approaches to responsible gambling and harm prevention.

Author Bios

Dr. Nassim Tabri is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Carleton University whose research examines the antecedents and consequences of health-compromising behaviors, including disordered gambling. He has published widely, received national and international awards, and secured major research funding. His work informs evidence-based responsible gambling practices and harm-reduction strategies.

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May 27th, 12:00 AM

Honesty, Control, and Openness as Protective Processes in Gambling-Involved Couples

The Positive Play approach to responsible gambling emphasizes behaviors that promote honesty, control, and openness with a significant other about one’s gambling to protect against gambling harm. However, gambling harm is often defined narrowly at the individual level, overlooking harms experienced by romantic partners. Adopting a broader, relational definition of gambling harm, we examined whether honesty, control, and openness about one’s gambling with their partner functions as a protective factor for partner-relevant outcomes, including financial stress, relationship satisfaction, and financial infidelity. Ninety-one couples completed self-report measures of these outcomes and a novel measure of honesty, control, and openness about one’s gambling. Regression analyses showed that greater honesty, control, and openness predicted lower financial stress for one’s partner (β = −.14, p = .042), higher relationship satisfaction for oneself (β = .37, p < .001) and one’s partner (β = .30, p = .001), and lower engagement in financial infidelity by oneself (β = −.38, p < .001) and by one’s partner (β = −.18, p = .018). These findings demonstrate that consequences of Positive Play behaviors extend beyond the individual gambler and are associated with reduced relational and financial harm according to both partners’ reports, underscoring the value of couple-level approaches to responsible gambling and harm prevention.