The Effects of Abuse, Emotion Regulation and Family Member’s Gambling Problem on Problem Gamblers: Developmental Perspective

Abstract

The goal of this study was to identify the moderated mediating effect of family member's gambling problem on the connection between abuse, emotion regulation and problem gambling. To this end, a research model was tested among 642 adults (men: 473, women: 169) who gambled at least once a year and had been categorized as problem gamblers based on the CPGI score (8 and above). The study results were as follows: for men, abuse was identified to have a direct effect on problem gambling and an indirect influence on problem gambling by lowering their emotion regulation. In addition, men who experienced much abuse and had a family member with a gambling problem were found to suffer with a gambling problem of higher severity. This indicates that family member's gambling problem moderates the connection between abuse and gambling problem. As for women, history of domestic abuse affected emotion regulation, but emotion regulation did not mediate the connection between abuse and gambling problem. This study has its significance as it identifies the mechanism of family member's gambling problem from the perspective of developmental psychopathology, in addition to the mechanism of emotion regulation and gambling problem on the developmental path that negative childhood experience can lead to adjustment problem in adulthood.Keywords: Abuse; Emotion regulation; Familial member's gambling problem; Problem gambling IntroductionGambling has some positive functions for individuals and society, as it serves as a medium of leisure and a source of capital in a country and local communities; however, it often plays a dysfunctional role among individuals, families, colleagues, workplaces, communities, and countries [1]. The severity of gambling problem can be seen in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) by American Psychiatric Association (APA), and the problems that stem from dysfunctionality due to loss of self-control are defined as "disordered gambling" [2]. In the same vein, it is crucial to identify the factors influencing gambling problem. Shaffer and Korn highlighted the usefulness of a public health paradigm for gambling, while addressing the issue with a pathological model, which only focuses on individuals with gambling problem and cannot properly handle these problems that create great havoc not only for individuals but also for families and communities [3].The core targets of a public health paradigm for gambling are agents, hosts, and environment; they focus on the interplay between these components, instead of approaching the individual targets separately. In gambling, the agent is the game that determines the outcome of gambling; the host is the individual participating in gambling; and the environment is the physical, socio-cultural surroundings where the game takes place. To discuss the details of the public health paradigm for gambling, let us examine the influencing factors of gambling problem by each component as follows [4]. First, from the host's perspective, the factors that influe...