Lee Annabelle, Flack Mal, Caudwell Kim M
Faculty of Health, Ellengowan Drive, Casuarina, NT, 0810, Australia.
Researchers in Behavioural Addictions, Alcohol and Drugs, Charles Darwin University, Ellengowan Drive, Casuarina, NT, 0810, Australia.
J Gambl Stud. 2025 Mar;41(1):233-245. doi: 10.1007/s10899-024-10340-4. Epub 2024 Jul 25.
Emotional dysregulation is a transdiagnostic process associated with a range of addictive behaviours including problem gambling, with emerging research indicating that emotionally oriented reasons for gambling (i.e., excitement, escape) are associated with problem gambling. However, the relationships between difficulties with emotion regulation, reasons for gambling, and problem gambling, are unclear. The current study tested whether the association between difficulties with emotion regulation and problem gambling could be explained by escape and excitement gambling outcome expectancies. A total of 187 regular gamblers recruited via social media (50.3% male, 48.7% female) completed measures of difficulties with emotion regulation, gambling outcome expectancies, and problem gambling severity (M = 41.07, SD = 15.8). Analyses revealed that escape outcome expectancies partially mediated the relationship between difficulties with emotion regulation and problem gambling severity. However, the mediating effect of excitement on this relationship was not significant. The findings suggest that individuals with greater emotional regulation difficulties may engage in problem gambling to help manage aversive emotional states. The study's findings illustrate the importance of considering emotional dysregulation and outcome expectancies in problem gambling treatment planning and public health strategies.
情绪失调是一种与包括问题赌博在内的一系列成瘾行为相关的跨诊断过程，新出现的研究表明，以情绪为导向的赌博原因（即兴奋、逃避）与问题赌博有关。然而，情绪调节困难、赌博原因和问题赌博之间的关系尚不清楚。当前的研究测试了情绪调节困难与问题赌博之间的关联是否可以通过逃避和兴奋的赌博结果预期来解释。通过社交媒体招募了总共187名经常赌博者（男性占50.3%，女性占48.7%），他们完成了情绪调节困难、赌博结果预期和问题赌博严重程度的测量（M = 41.07，SD = 15.8）。分析表明，逃避结果预期部分介导了情绪调节困难与问题赌博严重程度之间的关系。然而，兴奋对这种关系的中介作用并不显著。研究结果表明，情绪调节困难较大的个体可能会参与问题赌博以帮助管理厌恶情绪状态。该研究的结果说明了在问题赌博治疗计划和公共卫生策略中考虑情绪失调和结果预期的重要性。
