A cross-cultural study examining psychological distress in excessive gambling

View Open Access Article View Snapshot Back to Search Results

snapshot summaries

Author(s): Vuorinen, Ilkka ; Oksanen, Atte ; Savolainen, Iina ; Sirola, Anu ; Kaakinen, Markus ; Paek, Hye-Jin ; Zych, Izabela

Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Year Published: 2021

Date Added: August 26, 2021

There are many possible factors that contribute to excessive gambling. This study was interested in the effects of loneliness, sense of mastery, and psychological distress on excessive gambling. The researchers hypothesized that psychological distress could be a mechanism by which loneliness and a low sense of mastery contribute to excessive gambling. They also wanted to know if this differed across four countries: South Korea, Spain, Finland, and the US. They surveyed 4816 people aged 15–25 in these countries. The researchers found that psychological distress was partially responsible for the effects of loneliness and low sense of mastery on excessive gambling. Low sense of mastery also independently predicted excessive gambling in all four countries. On the other hand, loneliness predicted excessive gambling in Spain and South Korea only.

Citation: Vuorinen, I., Oksanen, A., Savolainen, I., Sirola, A., Kaakinen, M., Paek, H. J., & Zych, I. (2021). The mediating role of psychological distress in excessive gambling among young people: A four-country study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, Article 6973. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18136973

Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18136973

Keywords: adolescents ; loneliness ; problem gambling ; psychological distress ; young adults ; youth

Topics: Children and Youth ; Priority Populations

Conceptual Framework Factors: Psychological - Comorbid Disorders ; Psychological Factors ; Cultural Factors ; Psychological - Lifespan Development ; Social Factors ; Psychological - Subjective Well-Being

Study Design: Descriptive: Survey

Geographic Coverage: Finland ; South Korea ; Spain ; United States of America

Study Population: 4816 adolescents and young adults (aged 15–25) who lived in Finland (n = 1200), the United States (n = 1212), South Korea (n = 1192), and Spain (n = 1212)

Sampling Procedure: Participants were recruited from research panels administrated by Dynata. All samples were selected to be demographically balanced in terms of age, gender, and living area.

Study Funding:

This study was funded by the Finnish Foundation for Alcohol Studies. One of the authors, Ilkka Vuorinen, was supported by a grant from the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation.