Violence économique et stratégie de contrôle chez les couples où l'homme est joueur problèmatique

Gambling problems of one of the life partners bring consequences on conjugal life, including a deterioration of finances. In this context, partners may adopt control behaviors over the household finances. What strategies do partners of problem gamblers use to control their partner's gambling habits and expenses? Are these behaviors similar to economic conjugal violence? To explore these questions, telephone interviews were conducted with 156 women, 54 of which perceived their partner as having a gambling problem. Results showed that a greater proportion of women in a relationship with a problem gambler reported having committed and experienced economic violence behaviors. Some contexts and motives associated with economic violence perpetrated by women lend support to a protective function. Women consider that their partner's economic violence behaviors were aimed at ensuring continuation of gambling activities. Moreover, nearly 80% of women concerned with their partner's gambling habits used strategies to control their gambling habits, including gambling expenditure. The complexity of assessing economic conjugal violence within a problem gambling context is discussed.