Félicitations à Eva Monson pour l’obtention d’une bourse du Fonds Nouvelles frontières en recherche !

Le Fonds Nouvelles frontières en recherche a octroyé la somme de 499 656 $ à Eva Monson Ph.D., chercheure régulière à l'IUD et professeure adjointe au Programmes d’études et de recherche en toxicomanie de la Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé de l'Université de Sherbrooke, pour son projet Exploring the effects of a rapidly evolving gambling landscape on socio-economic inequality in gambling related harm: Implications for postpandemic recovery.

Détails du projet

Gambling disorder is associated with substantial costs (eg. economic, societal) and represents a major public health concern. Gambling-related harm is not equally distributed, but varies according to socio-economic status at both individual and area-levels, with society’s most socio-economically disadvantaged individuals assuming a disproportionate amount of the burden associated with gambling-related harm. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the gambling landscape, particularly accelerating, at an unprecedented rate, a shift toward higher risk online forms of gambling. The effects of COVID-19 pandemic are also not equally distributed, disproportionately impacting society’s most socio-economically disadvantaged individuals. 

As such, the objectives of this project are to examine how (1) recent shifts in the gambling landscape are affecting the historically inequitable nature of gambling-related problems and harm, and (2) to most effectively identify the underlying causes of socio-economic inequities in the gambling field moving forward in a postpandemic recovery context. 

This project will employ an interdisciplinary approach, drawing from epidemiology, sociology, psychology, and public health. The research team will undertake a mixed methods research design including both quantitative (eg. survey) and qualitative (eg. interview) components that will be strengthened through both triangulation of data and the addition of a component dedicated to coconstruction of knowledge. 

This project aligns with the UN Research Roadmap priority of tackling underlying root causes of socio-economic inequities, among others, and will contribute to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goal of reducing inequalities within countries. To our knowledge, it will be the first to examine, throughout a period of profound change, the relationship between the rapidly evolving gambling landscape and its consequences for gambling related problems and harm by function of socio-economic disadvantage. Project findings have the potential to optimize public policy and service distribution which is essential for developing innovative solutions to support a more equitable, sustainable and resilient postpandemic reality and ultimately reduce inequality in gambling-related harms.