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Difficulties in Emotion Regulation, Coping, and Dysfunctional Psychological Symptoms in Family Members of People with Gambling Disorder

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Abstract

Gambling disorder not only affects those who suffer from it but also has consequences for their families. Considering such repercussions are often understudied, and the aim of the present study was to evaluate the main differences between family members of people with gambling disorder (GDFMs) and those with no relatives diagnosed with gambling disorder (non-GDFMs). The variables examined in the present study included emotion regulation, coping strategies, depression, and anxiety. The sample (N = 203) was divided into two groups. This comprised a clinical group (n = 89 participants, 43.8% of the sample), with 69.7% of women (Mage = 48.63, SD = 13.36), and a community sample (i.e., no gambling-related problems in their family; n = 114, representing 56.2% of the sample), containing 64% of women (Mage = 35.89, SD = 11.45). Results showed that GDFMs scored significantly higher than non-GDFMs (i) on anxiety and depression scales, (ii) on difficulties in emotion regulation, and (iii) on maladaptive coping strategies. Additionally, difficulties in emotion regulation and coping strategies correlated with anxiety and depression. Regression analyses showed that difficulties in emotion regulation and coping strategies predicted anxiety and depression for GDFMs. These findings highlight the importance of including family members as part of the target group in gambling disorder treatment protocols.

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Acknowledgments

The sample was recruited with the help of Ekintza-Aluviz (Asociación Vizcaína de Ayuda al Ludópata) and FEJAR (Spanish Federation of Rehabilitated Gamblers).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Personality, Assessment and Treatment Department - Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain

    Ana Estevez, Paula Jauregui, Naiara Lopez & Hibai Lopez-Gonzalez

  2. Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK

    Mark Griffiths

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  1. Ana Estevez
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  2. Paula Jauregui
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  4. Hibai Lopez-Gonzalez
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Correspondence to Paula Jauregui.

Ethics declarations

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000 (5). Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest apart from MDG. MDG’s university currently receives funding from Norsk Tipping (the gambling operator owned by the Norwegian Government). MDG has also received funding for a number of research projects in the area of gambling education for young people, social responsibility in gambling, and gambling treatment from Gamble Aware (formerly the Responsibility in Gambling Trust), a charitable body which funds its research program based on donations from the gambling industry. MDG also undertakes consultancy for various gaming companies in the area of social responsibility in gambling.

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Estevez, A., Jauregui, P., Lopez, N. et al. Difficulties in Emotion Regulation, Coping, and Dysfunctional Psychological Symptoms in Family Members of People with Gambling Disorder. Int J Ment Health Addiction 18, 1196–1208 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-019-00117-x

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