Explaining the relation between pathological gambling and depression: Rumination as an underlying common cause

Abstract

Background and aimsSymptoms of pathological gambling (SPG) and depression often co-occur. The nature of this relationship remains unclear. Rumination, which is well known to be associated with depression, might act as a common underlying factor explaining the frequent co-occurrence of both conditions. The aim of this study is to analyze associations between the rumination subfactors brooding and reflection and SPG.MethodsParticipants aged 14–64 years were recruited within an epidemiological study on pathological gambling in Germany. Cross-sectional data of 506 (80.4% male) individuals with a history of gambling problems were analyzed. The assessment included a standardized clinical interview. To examine the effects of rumination across different levels of problem gambling severity, sequential quantile regression was used to analyze the association between the rumination subfactors and SPG.ResultsBrooding (p = .005) was positively associated with the severity of problem gambling after adjusting for reflection, depressive symptoms, and sociodemographic variables. Along the distribution of problem gambling severity, findings hold for all but the lowest severity level. Reflection (p = .347) was not associated with the severity of problem gambling at the median. Along the distribution of problem gambling severity, there was an inverse association at only one quantile.Discussion and conclusionsBrooding might be important in the development and maintenance of problem gambling. With its relations to depression and problem gambling, it might be crucial when it comes to explaining the high comorbidity rates between SPG and depression. The role of reflection in SPG remains inconclusive.

Gambling problems in primary care: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…There is growing recognition of the adverse consequences of gambling, which may comprise vocational disruptions (e.g., job loss; Langham et al, 2015), deviant and criminal behaviour (Roberts, Sharman, King, Bayston, & Bowden-Jones, 2019), as well as severe financial problems (Grant, Schreiber, Odlaug, & Kim, 2010), mental health issues (Krause et al, 2018), and interpersonal difficulties (Roberts et al, 2018). The increasing awareness of the magnitude of these issues has provided impetus for initiatives to reduce maladaptive gambling and associated harms (Public Health England, 2020).…”

Maladaptive Rumination Mediates the Relationship between Self-Esteem, Perfectionism, and Work Addiction: A Largescale Survey Study

“…Based on previous findings between self-esteem and work addiction, it is hypothesized that self-esteem mediates the relationship between both self-oriented perfectionism and work addiction, and between socially prescribed perfectionism and work addiction. Based on theories of the emotional processes of individuals with work addiction [ 4 , 49 ] and research examining the relationships between other behavioral addictions and rumination [ 57 , 58 ], it is hypothesized that a higher level of maladaptive rumination (i.e., brooding) predicts a higher level of work addiction. According to empirical evidence examining the relationship between low self-esteem and more intensive maladaptive rumination [ 59 , 60 ], it is hypothesized that brooding will mediate the relationship between self-esteem and work addiction.…”

“…Based on theories of the emotional processes of individuals with work addiction [ 4 , 49 ] and research examining the relationships between other behavioral addictions and rumination [ 57 , 58 ], it is hypothesized that a higher level of maladaptive rumination (i.e., brooding) predicts a higher level of work addiction.…”

Contribution of sex on the underlying mechanism of the gambling disorder severity

“…The exact nature of the relationship between gambling severity and depression is not clear in the literature. Previous works point out a co-occurrence between depression and pathological gambling symptoms 78 , 79 , with gamblers with comorbid depression having more severe problems, or with some mood-related sub-aspects, such as rumination, prolonging or intensifying the relationship between depression and problem gambling. A very recent mediational study found that deficits in non-acceptance, goals, strategies, and clarity in emerging adult gamblers, mediated the relationship between problem gambling and depression 80 .…”