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

Krause, Kristian and Bischof, Anja and Lewin, Silvia and Guertler, Diana and Rumpf, Hans-Jürgen and John, Ulrich and Meyer, Christian (2018) Explaining the relation between pathological gambling and depression: Rumination as an underlying common cause. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 7 (2). pp. 384-391. ISSN 2062-5871

Preview

Text 2006.7.2018.38.pdf Download (334kB) | Preview

Abstract

Background and aims Symptoms 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. Methods Participants 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. Results Brooding (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.<sec sec-type="discussion and conclusions"> Discussion and conclusions Brooding 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.

Actions (login required)

Edit Item