Problem gambling severity and LGBTQ+ status: Evaluating influence of age and comorbid mental health and substance use problems

Abstract: This presentation will explore the relationship between LGBTQ+ identification and risk for problem gambling. Research has long identified in sexual minority groups higher rates of most mental health indicators, including anxiety, depression, suicidality, and substance misuse. However, little attention has focused on their risk of developing gambling problems. This study used an epidemiological sample of adults (N = 3,414), 6% of whom identified as LGBTQ+ (n = 216). Bivariate comparisons found those who identified as LGBTQ+ had significantly higher problems with gambling, alcohol, drugs, anxiety, depression, and a wide range of behaviors (e.g., binge eating, pornography use). Furthermore, a logistic regression found a significant interaction effect between LGBTQ+ status and age, such that the odds of having gambling disorder (PGSI ≥ 8) increased with age for individuals who identified as LGBTQ+ when controlling for demographic, mental health, and other addiction variables. Among those who gambled in the LGBTQ+ population, anxiety and/or problems with drugs were most associated with high-risk gambling. Implications: These results underscore the need to screen for gambling problems across all health, mental health, and community sectors where individuals in the LGBTQ+ community, particularly older adults, could be identified and triaged to treatment. Presenter Bios: Jackie Stanmyre, MSW, ABD, is the Assistant Director of the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University. Her research focuses on gambling and sports wagering among athletes and coaches, mindfulness profiles among people who gamble, screening and interventions for problem gambling, and play-by-play analysis for online gambling and sports wagering. Lia Nower, JD, PhD is Professor and Director of the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University. Her research focuses on etiology, treatment, policy initiatives around harm reduction and responsible gambling, and big data analyses of online gambling and sports wagering. She serves as a Senior Editor for Addiction and Assistant Editor of International Gambling Studies. Dr. Nower is also the 2022 recipient of the Lifetime Research Award from the National Council on Problem Gambling in Washington D.C. Michelle L. Malkin, JD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at East Carolina University. Her research interests include problem gambling, diversion courts, and LGBTQ+ experiences in the carceral system. In 2018, she received a research fellowship from the Center for Gaming Studies at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her dissertation on Problem Gambling, General Strain Theory and Gender received the 2022 Dr. Durand Jacobs Dissertation Award from the National Council on Problem Gambling

The Nuance of Mindfulness among Gamblers and Video Game Players: Empirical Findings from Latent Profile Analysis and Links to Intervention for Problem Gambling and Problem Video Gaming

Abstract: This presentation reviews two studies that investigate different profiles of gamblers and video gamers across five facets of mindfulness and nonattachment using latent profile analyses. Study 1 identified four profiles among 843 adults who gamble (59.9% male, Mage=39 years): High, Moderate and Low Mindfulness, as well as a Judgmentally Unaware profile, characterized by low levels of nonjudging and acting with awareness. Gamblers with the Judgmentally Unware profile demonstrated more frequent gambling, stronger gambling motivations and gambling-related cognitions, more severe problem gambling, and poorer mental health compared to other profiles. Study 2 identified a different four-profile model among 629 adults who play video games (62.8% male, Mage=38 years): High and Moderate Mindfulness, Judgmentally Unware profile, and Reactive and Attached profile, characterized by high non-reacting and low nonattachment. Video gamers with the Judgmentally Unware profile evidenced the most severe problem gaming, followed by the Reactive and Attached profile. The Judgmentally Unware profile reported stronger gaming motivations and higher emotion-based impulsivity; in contrast, the Reactive and Attached profile demonstrated greater psychological inflexibility and escapism motivation relative to the other profiles. Implications of mindfulness profiles as risk and protective factors will be discussed in light of reducing harm for both gambling and video gaming. Implications: Findings suggest a variety of ways in which gamblers and video gamers might be mindful. Given the overlap between gambling and gaming and the Judgmentally Unaware profile, mindfulness-based harm reduction intervention could be particularly useful for addressing problem gambling/video gaming and decreasing future harms from these activities