Gambling with Your Health: Associations Between Gambling Problem Severity and Health Risk Behaviours, Health and Wellbeing

Abstract

The current study examined the association between gambling problem severity and health risk behaviours, health and wellbeing. A cross-sectional survey (including representative population and supplementary convenience samples) was conducted with 2303 adult residents of a British Island. Gambling problem severity was assessed using the Problem Gambling Severity Index. The EQ-5D-5L, WEMWBS and AUDIT-C were used to measure general health, mental wellbeing and alcohol use, respectively. Other measures included diet, physical exercise and tobacco use. Differences between gambling severity levels for each measure were analysed using logistic regression adjusting for age, sex and income. Compared to non-problem gamblers, moderate/high severity gamblers had higher odds of a poor diet, low physical exercise and poor general health. Tobacco use was associated with both low and moderate/high severity gambling. Low severity, but not moderate/high severity gambling, was significantly associated with binge and higher risk drinking behaviours. Health risk behaviours tended to cluster, with a graded relationship between gambling problem severity and odds of reporting at least two health risk behaviours. Compared to non-problem gamblers, low severity gamblers were approximately twice as likely and moderate/high severity gamblers were three times as likely, to have low mental wellbeing. Findings suggest associations between gambling problems and a range of health risk behaviours and health issues, and crucially that such issues are not limited to gamblers with the highest severity of problems. Addressing gambling across the whole continuum of risk should be a key public health priority.

Association Between Problem Gambling and Functional Disability: A Nationally Representative Study Conducted in the United Kingdom

“…increasing their risk of functional disability. 30 Finally, it is also plausible that those with a functional disability may be more likely to develop gambling problems, 31 and this may involve stress or depression. In this context, it is possible that the association between problem gambling and functional disability is bi-directional.…”

Associations between playing free-to-play sports gambling predictor games and online sports betting frequency for men in the United Kingdom

“…A public health approach to gambling related harm is accordingly justified to prevent harms caused by gambling and inducements (including predictor games). This would require moving beyond ineffective, individualised, 'responsible gambling' approaches, which are promoted by the gambling industry in contradiction to the simultaneous encouragement of gambling through advertisements and inducements (Butler et al 2019;Sulkunen et al 2019;Wardle et al 2019).…”

“…Across different regions, research has illustrated that gambling harm can occur at different levels, from the individual, to relationships, to harms at the community and societal levels (Langham et al 2015;Orford 2020). Individual harms can range from low-level financial harm up to crisis points, including crime, homelessness, violence, and suicide (Langham et al 2015;Butler et al 2019;Orford 2020;Wardle et al 2020). Alongside this are harms to significant others characterised by inter-personal conflicts and the breakdown of relationships (Langham et al 2015;Goodwin et al 2017).…”

“…At community and societal levels, gambling contributes to inequalities, with harms most heavily concentrated amongst those with the least resources to tackle them (Wardle 2015;Evans and Cross 2021). While gambling harms have previously been considered as isolated to those experiencing problem gambling, research has shown that the majority of overall harms associated with gambling fall on those who are below the threshold for problem gambling, with even low-risk gamblers having poorer wellbeing than people who do not gamble (Canale et al 2016;Browne et al 2017;Butler et al 2019;Browne 2020).…”

The Prevalence of High-Risk Behavior Among Adolescents in Aftercare Services and Transitioning from Out-of-home Care: A Systematic Review

“…Moreover, risky sexual behavior increases the risk of exploitation, exposure to sexually transmitted diseases, and unwanted pregnancies (Hahn et al, 2021). Gaming addictions, gambling, and functional addictions can exclude adolescents from social relationships, enhance financial problems, make it difficult to engage in daily activities, and exacerbate mental health problems (Butler et al, 2020;Shoshani et al,2021;Khalil et al, 2022). Longitudinal studies have shown that high-risk behaviors stemming from untreated behavioral disorders among adolescents lead to lower educational levels, financial difficulties, increased incidence of mental health and substance abuse problems, and higher premature mortality (Akasaki et al, 2019;Campbell et al, 2020).…”