Belle Gavriel-Fried

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Verified

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• Ph.D.
• Associate Professor at Tel Aviv University

Purpose of Review Gambling disorder (GD) presents significant psychiatric challenges, particularly for vulnerable populations like military veterans, who often also face mental health comorbidities. Recovery is a crucial issue in the gambling field, representing a transition from illness to health. Currently, there is no consensus regarding its def...

Closed religious communities cultivate a robust communal identity, shared faith, values, and norms among their members, providing them with social and emotional support. Deviance carries significant consequences, specifically disintegrating members’ sense of belonging. Gambling disorder (GD) is characterized by harmful gambling behaviors that negat...

Women in recovery from substance use disorder (SUD) face multiple, specific challenges. Establishing healthy and close relationships can contribute to women’s mental health and enhance their recovery. Unhealthy relationships with men are a key factor in women’s onset of drug use, relapse, and attempts to recover from a SUD. Given their frequent per...

Making sense of the social world is an intricate process heavily influenced by cultural elements. Gambling is a prevalent leisure-time activity characterized by risk-taking conduct. While some individuals who engage in it do so without experiencing any harm, others will develop gambling problems. Judaism tends to perceive gambling negatively since...

Growing concerns over gambling problems across age groups have sparked research in public health and psychology. During emerging adulthood, individuals are more susceptible to mental health problems and more likely to develop gambling problems than in other age groups. This study explored the potential differences between emerging adults and adults...

Introduction A developing theoretical framework for the investigation of tight cultures’ reaction toward members who violate communal norms is societal conditional regard (SCR). Methods Using a qualitative interpretive approach, in the current study we investigated the way the Ultraorthodox Jewish community uses SCR to cope with substance use diso...

Minorities encounter barriers to integrating in higher education. However, only a few studies have examined these barriers from the perspective of faculty members. The present study aimed to understand the barriers that Arab students in Israeli higher education face, from the perspective of deans and department heads. Using the naturalistic qualita...

This study focused on mothers and childless women in recovery from a gambling disorder (GD) in the context of risk society. Mothers with GD suffer from dual social stigma as gamblers and as women who put their children at risk. Mothers in “risk society” tend to recognize that their choices can affect their children’s future. The recovery capital (R...

Introduction Gambling is a public health concern. Problem gambling is related to a range of psycho-social risk factors including ethnonational affiliation. Israel is an insightful case to probe problem gambling, given the socio-economic marginalization of Israeli Arabs, the continued exposure of Israelis to stress and the conservative Israeli gambl...

Aim: Problematic gambling has been related to depressive and anxiety symptoms and low financial self-efficacy (FSE).The present study aimed to examine the mediating effect of gambling motives in this relationship. Methods: The sample included 421 individuals (27.79% women, meanage=39.29). They were recruited through gambling treatment centres, Gamb...

Objective: This study explored the perceptions, lived experiences, and coping approaches of women who live with spouses who have alcohol use disorder (AUD) in response to implicit and explicit messages from professionals and others in their environment. Background: Women who live with a spouse with AUD are affected by their spouses’ behavior and ex...

Historically, the notion of friendships between women has been replete with negative myths and perceptions. However, studies show that friendships between women contribute to their wellbeing as a source of support and empowerment. Social support is known to be a key factor during recovery from a substance use disorder (SUD). Previous studies have e...

Background: Studies have shown that a high percentage of individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) are involved in receiving payment for sex (RPS). The stigma associated with RPS may lead to non-disclosure of RPS in drug treatment services thus preventing fully benefitting from SUD treatment. Research on RPS in the context of SUD interventions...

Background: Recovery from mental health and behavioral disorders is classically defined as a reduction in symptoms. More recent definitions see it as a process in which individuals improve their health, wellness and other life domains. The inclusion of gaming disorder (GD) in the 11th International Classification of Diseases in 2019 prompted growi...

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) among older people is under-diagnosed even though the population of older people is rising. Recovery from AUD among older people is a challenging process. A scoping review of the literature on recovery from AUD among older people was conducted to characterize the main topics in recovery. A systematic search was conducted...

Background Substance use disorders (SUDs) are a worldwide phenomenon with very negative consequences, and belonging to a religious community is considered to be a protective factor against them. The pathways to SUDs have been investigated in many studies with the aim of helping us better understand this phenomenon and promoting effective interventi...

Gender is a multidimensional construct that differentiates males and females according to its meanings in different socio-cultural contexts. Recovery capital (RC) describes the internal and external resources individuals employ and/or have access to when overcoming addictions. Negative RC refers to elements that hinder recovery. The literature on g...

Objective: The population of older adults suffering from alcohol use disorder (AUD) is increasing worldwide. Recovery from AUD among older adults is a challenging process which can lead to amelioration in these individuals' physical, mental, familial and social domains. However, little is known about the life experiences of older adults who have r...

Background and aims: Recovery is a challenge for individuals coping with a gambling disorder (GD). Recovery capital (RC) is a conceptual framework describing positive external and internal (e.g., human, social, community and financial) resources that promote recovery. Negative RC relates to external and internal obstacles to recovery. To date, no...

Stigma refers to the attribution of negative sentiments towards a particular entity, object or individual. Stigma can be public, perceived, or self-referential and can have negative consequences for individuals, including losses of self-esteem, self-efficacy, social isolation and a reluctance to seek help. Problem gambling is known to be a stigmati...

The Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and its concomitant social isolation have affected older citizens more than any other sector of the population. This article describes the theoretical and practical principles of a short-term tele-therapy intervention model developed and implemented as a pilot project during the Coronavirus pandemic to support ol...

Countries with public policies that support gambling through gambling legislation foster an environment in which gambling is socially accepted, tacitly encouraged and actively promoted. Although gambling worldwide has features in common, countries differ in terms of the nature of their gambling markets. The current study examined the role of percei...

Introduction: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is manifested by periods of remission and relapse which can serve a source of continuous stressors on the individuals and family. Women living with a spouse diagnosed with AUD can be mentally and physically affected by this behaviour. Most studies have focused on the general influence of AUD on these women,...

Recovery from any addiction, including gambling, involves continuous efforts to improve wellness despite the obstacles and challenges. The recovery capital (RC) model is a holistic conceptual framework operationalized along a continuum ranging from positive internal and external RC resources that enhance recovery to negative recovery capital (NRC)...

Public attitudes toward gambling have important implications for people’s engagement in the activity and receptivity to regulatory reforms. Such views are likely, however, to be influenced by variations in market conditions, perceptions of regulations and personal exposure to gambling. This article examines whether differences in gambling attitudes...

Although age-related differences have been reported in gambling disorder, prior studies have not examined how age may influence recovery in gambling disorder. Recovery may be influenced by positive factors (e.g., spirituality and recovery capital) and negative factors (e.g., depression, anxiety, and stressful life events). The current study examine...

ABSTRACT Background: Although more than 40% of US military veterans have lifetime histories of alcohol use disorder (AUD), little is known about the prevalence and correlates of current drinking patterns (i.e., abstinent, subthreshold, hazardous drinking) in this population. Objectives: To characterize the prevalence and key correlates of abstinen...

Background: Understanding gender-related differences is important in recovery processes. Previous studies have investigated gender-related differences in factors associated with gambling disorder (GD), but none to date have considered both positive and negative resources related to recovery. Using a recovery capital (RC) framework that considers m...

Understanding how factors promoting recovery from gambling disorder operate is important in gambling studies and treatment programs. The recovery experience may involve multiple positive resources and may be hindered by negative experiences or states. Most prior studies have focused on the latter, generating a gap in understanding the role for posi...

Background: Spirituality is related to an individual’s relationship with a Transcendent Being or Ultimate Reality, which may contribute to salutary human experience and serve as a motive for attitudes and behaviors. In contrast to studies in the field of substance addictions showing that spirituality may protect against substance-use problems and d...

Recovery capital (RC) is an emerging conceptual framework in the addiction field that pinpoints the internal and external (i.e., human, community, cultural, social, financial) resources individuals can draw on throughout the recovery process. The concept of RC was developed and applied primarily to individuals who have recovered from substance addi...

Background and aims: The concept of recovery capital (RC) describes the internal and external resources that individuals draw upon to initiate and sustain the processes of addiction recovery. This concept has been primarily applied to individuals recovering from substance addictions. In this study, the RC concept was applied to individuals with a...

Background: The prevalence of gambling disorder (GD) in women has increased, but, to date, few studies have explored the features of clinical GD subtypes in female samples. Aims: The aim of this study is to identify empirical clusters based on clinical/sociodemographic variables in a sample of treatment-seeking women with GD. Methods: Agglomer...

Aims: People with gambling as well as substance use problems who are exposed to public stigmatization may internalize and apply it to themselves through a mechanism known as self-stigma. This study implemented the Progressive Model for Self-Stigma which consists four sequential interrelated stages: awareness, agreement, application and harm on thre...

This study aimed to examine a multi-mediator model explaining how exposure to parent-child physical aggression may link with adolescents’ peer-directed physical aggression and their own subjective happiness, in an understudied Israeli Arab population. Mediators included hostility, anger, need to belong, and self-control. Arab adolescents from north...

Mental health professionals are well versed in addressing multiple adolescent risky behaviours and play a primary role in the identification of and referral process and service provision for young people who engage in such behaviours. Given their ‘person-in-environment’ approach, training in multi-sectoral collaboration, and awareness of social pol...

This mixed-methods study examined whether heterosexual social workers define same-sex relationships within the concept of family. A sample of 490 Israeli social workers completed a survey that assessed their definition of same-sex relationships as family, their personal values, level of acquaintance with same-sex relationships, and demographics. Th...

Social changes in recent years have led to a broadening of the definition of family. The perception of the concept of family among the American public was assessed in 2003 and 2006 by means of the Family Perception Scale, which found that the respondents fell into three clusters, dubbed Exclusionists, Moderates, and Inclusionists. Based on a sample...

Adolescence is a period of dramatic change that necessitates using skills and strengths to reduce physical aggression and increase happiness. This study examined the multiple facets of self-control skills in achieving both goals simultaneously, in a sample of 248 Arab adolescents in Israel. We conceptualized and tested a new multi-mediator model th...

The present study investigated the moderating role of positive emotions on the associations between self-control and social support with gambling and water-pipe smoking. One hundred fifty-five adolescents aged 12–19 (M=16.19) were contacted in 2011 at five centers for at-risk youth in Israel. Self-report findings indicated that positive emotions mo...

Applying Schwartz's values theory and Allport's contact theory, this study examines the role of personal values and personal acquaintance with non-traditional families as mediators of the association between socio-demographic variables (SES) and family concept. In the first known study of its kind on the Jewish-Israeli family, a sample of 1518 adul...

In the past few years, gambling among adolescents has become a common health risk behavior, one that might lead to other health risk behaviors. Research on the etiology of gambling behavior among adolescents has hitherto focused primarily on the factors contributing to increased gambling severity (GS). The present study is different, in that it exa...

This study examines the Jewish Israeli public's attitudes towards gambling, how they vary between various socio-demographic subgroups, and the association between gambling attitudes and gambling behaviour. In April 2014, 1000 Jewish Israeli adults (49.6% of them women) aged 18–67 (M = 40.28, SD = 14.07), responded to an online questionnaire that in...

Women with a gambling problem bear a negative social stigma. Based on the theory of symbolic interactionism, this study examined the construction of social identities by 17 Israeli women diagnosed with a gambling disorder. Interpretive interactionist analysis revealed how they construct their identity through correspondence with patterns of behavio...

Background and Objectives This study examines the association between physical activities and gambling, making a distinction between two characteristics of the former: intensity level and type (competitive/non-competitive).Method316 adolescents from four high schools in Israel completed questionnaires.ResultsFor males, participation in competitive...

This study analyses the controversy in Israel in the years 1958–2003 surrounding the legitimacy of casino gambling, with particular focus on how it was affected by the operations of Casino Oasis in the Palestinian Authority territory between 1998 and 2000. An interpretative narrative analysis of debates in the Israeli Knesset (parliament) and in th...

This study deals with how substance-dependent men perceive their paternal identity. Data were based on in-depth semi-structured interviews with 12 Israeli fathers who were enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment. Content analysis revealed that participants had undergone a process of parental identity formation composed of four distinct stages:...

Social changes in the Western world have led to changes in the traditional family structure and to the emergence of new family structures. Despite the involvement of social workers with a broad range of family types, their perceptions of the concept of family have never been studied. This study examines how social workers define the concept of fami...

This study examines the control exhibited by pathological women gamblers over their lives and their surroundings, and how this is governed by their perception of their gender role and socio-cultural expectations of them as women. Seventeen pathological women gamblers (13 of whom were mothers) were recruited from three addiction treatment centers in...

This study examines the relationships between gambling behaviour and temperament, sense of coherence (SOC) and exposure to advertising among adolescents, and the interactions between these three independent variables in relation to problem gambling (PG). One thousand and sixty-nine Israeli adolescents (males = 539, females = 530), aged 16–19, were...

As gambling becomes legalised and readily accessible, more youth are involved in this potentially harmful behaviour. As part of a harm-reduction approach, laws against the sale of lottery tickets to minors have been enacted in many jurisdictions. In October 2007, such a law was passed in Israel, seven years after the bill was first introduced in th...

The study examines the issue of ego identity among adolescent sons of alcoholic fathers. Forty-four adolescent sons of alcoholic fathers, age of 15-18, constituted the sample. They were drawn from public alcohol treatment center in Israel. The control group included 60 adolescents none of their parents is known as an alcoholic, sampled from integra...