Unemployment as a risk factor for gambling disorder: A longitudinal study based on national registry data

Syvertsen, André and Leino, Tony and Smith, Otto R. F. and Mentzoni, Rune Aune and Sivertsen, Børge and Griffiths, Mark D. and Pallesen, Ståle (2024) Unemployment as a risk factor for gambling disorder: A longitudinal study based on national registry data. JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL ADDICTIONS, 13 (3). pp. 751-760. ISSN 2062-5871 (print); 2063-5303 (online)

Preview

Text 2006-article-p751.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial. Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

Background and aims Unemployment rates are elevated among individuals with disordered gambling, yet the directionality of the relationship remains unclear. The present study investigated paid and unpaid unemployment as risk factors for future gambling disorder (GD). Methods The study employed a case-control design, including all adult Norwegians receiving a GD diagnosis within specialist health services from January 2008 to December 2018 (n = 5,131). These individuals were compared with age- and sex-matched controls from the general population (n = 30,164), as well as controls with somatic and psychiatric diagnoses (n = 30,476). Results Logistic regressions showed that those in the highest quartile of unpaid unemployment days had more than double the odds (odds ratio [OR] 2.23 (95% CI [1.96, 2.52]) of developing GD compared to those with no unpaid unemployment days. Similarly, higher levels of paid unemployment were also found to increase the odds for GD, with those in the highest quartile having an OR of 1.86 (95% CI [1.50, 2.28]) compared to those with no paid unemployment days. Moreover, an interaction analysis indicated that the association between paid unemployment days and GD was significantly stronger among men compared to women. Conclusions The present study suggests that both paid and unpaid unemployment constitute risk factors for GD. Programs aiming at obtaining and sustaining work have been found to improve health and future studies should examine if the risk for GD can be similarly mitigated.

Actions (login required)

Edit Item