Artemi Tonia-Flery, Neophytou Klavdia, Theodorou Marios, Theodorou Christiana, Panayiotou Georgia
Department of Psychology and Center for Applied Neuroscience, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Department of Psychology and Social Sciences, Frederick University, Limassol, Cyprus.
Eur Addict Res. 2025 Jun 26:1-11. doi: 10.1159/000547094.
This study addresses the need to identify mechanisms leading to problem gambling, by examining the relationship between psychological distress, emotion regulation difficulties, and problem gambling severity, taking into consideration the potential moderating role of gender.
We collected data from 350 regular gamblers in a Southern European country, via an online survey. We examined bivariate correlations, and gender differences in aspects of psychological distress and emotion regulation, as well as prediction of gambling problems by emotion regulation and distress. Main analyses examined a moderated mediation model, hypothesizing that specific emotion regulation difficulties, assessed using the DERS-18, mediate the link between psychological distress, assessed using the BSI-18, and problem gambling, assessed using SOGS, with gender as a moderator.
Results indicated that gambling problems were significantly correlated with all emotion regulation difficulties and psychological distress facets assessed. Men scored higher in SOGS than women. In linear regression analyses, the emotion regulation strategies of nonacceptance and poor awareness of emotions, and depression-related distress predicted problem gambling severity. Moderated mediation analysis showed that nonacceptance significantly mediated the distress-gambling relationship. Gender moderated the mediational pathway, with nonacceptance being a significant mediator for men but not women.
Findings underscore the role of emotion regulation, a process that may explain the well-established link between psychological distress and gambling problems. It also highlights the need to consider gender-specific processes in interventions. Based on results, training in emotion acceptance is critical for both genders and especially for men. Results provide directions for further research into the psychological processes underlying the etiology and maintenance of problem gambling.
本研究旨在通过考察心理困扰、情绪调节困难与问题赌博严重程度之间的关系，并考虑性别的潜在调节作用，来确定导致问题赌博的机制。
我们通过在线调查从一个南欧国家的350名经常赌博者那里收集数据。我们考察了双变量相关性、心理困扰和情绪调节方面的性别差异，以及情绪调节和困扰对赌博问题的预测作用。主要分析检验了一个有调节的中介模型，假设使用DERS - 18评估的特定情绪调节困难在使用BSI - 18评估的心理困扰与使用SOGS评估的问题赌博之间起中介作用，性别作为调节变量。
结果表明，赌博问题与所评估的所有情绪调节困难和心理困扰方面都显著相关。男性在SOGS上的得分高于女性。在线性回归分析中，情绪的不接受和对情绪的意识淡薄以及与抑郁相关的困扰预测了问题赌博的严重程度。有调节的中介分析表明，不接受显著中介了困扰与赌博之间的关系。性别调节了中介路径，不接受对男性是显著的中介变量，对女性则不然。
研究结果强调了情绪调节的作用，这一过程可能解释了心理困扰与赌博问题之间已确立的联系。它还突出了在干预措施中考虑性别特定过程的必要性。基于研究结果，情绪接受训练对男女两性都至关重要，对男性尤为如此。研究结果为进一步探究问题赌博的病因和维持背后的心理过程提供了方向。
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