Subjective Wellbeing as a Mediator Between Internalizing Symptoms and Problem Gambling in a Nationally Representative Sample

Session Title

Regulation: Behavioral Impacts & Market Outcomes

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation

Start Date

27-5-2026 12:00 AM

Abstract

Problem gambling is commonly associated with internalizing symptoms, yet the mechanisms underlying these relationships remain unclear. This study examined whether subjective wellbeing mediates the associations between anxiety and depression symptoms and problem gambling severity. The research was conducted on a nationally representative sample of Croatian residents aged 15 to 64 (N=4,988), through face-to-face surveys in private households. Problem gambling was assessed using Problem Gambling Severity Index, anxiety and depression symptoms with Patient Health Questionnaire, and subjective wellbeing with Personal Wellbeing Index. Analyses were conducted on participants who gambled in the past year (N=1,457). Two mediation models were tested, controlling for age and sex. Both anxiety and depression symptoms were negatively associated with subjective wellbeing. Lower subjective wellbeing, in turn, was associated with greater problem gambling. Significant indirect effects indicated that subjective wellbeing partially mediated the relationships between anxiety and depression and problem gambling. Younger age and male sex were consistently associated with greater problem gambling. Findings suggest reduced subjective wellbeing may be an important associative pathway linking internalizing symptoms to problem gambling and could represent a potential target for prevention and intervention efforts, complementing traditional therapeutic approaches focused directly on symptom reduction.

Author Bios

Prof. Renata Glavak Tkalić, PhD, is a research advisor at the Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences, Zagreb, Croatia, and a full professor at the Universities of Zagreb and Split, Croatia. Her research primarily focuses on the psychology of addiction, including substance use and behavioral addictions such as gambling and gaming, with additional interests in nightlife, psychopathology, interpersonal acceptance and ion, and cross-cultural studies.

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May 27th, 12:00 AM

Subjective Wellbeing as a Mediator Between Internalizing Symptoms and Problem Gambling in a Nationally Representative Sample

Problem gambling is commonly associated with internalizing symptoms, yet the mechanisms underlying these relationships remain unclear. This study examined whether subjective wellbeing mediates the associations between anxiety and depression symptoms and problem gambling severity. The research was conducted on a nationally representative sample of Croatian residents aged 15 to 64 (N=4,988), through face-to-face surveys in private households. Problem gambling was assessed using Problem Gambling Severity Index, anxiety and depression symptoms with Patient Health Questionnaire, and subjective wellbeing with Personal Wellbeing Index. Analyses were conducted on participants who gambled in the past year (N=1,457). Two mediation models were tested, controlling for age and sex. Both anxiety and depression symptoms were negatively associated with subjective wellbeing. Lower subjective wellbeing, in turn, was associated with greater problem gambling. Significant indirect effects indicated that subjective wellbeing partially mediated the relationships between anxiety and depression and problem gambling. Younger age and male sex were consistently associated with greater problem gambling. Findings suggest reduced subjective wellbeing may be an important associative pathway linking internalizing symptoms to problem gambling and could represent a potential target for prevention and intervention efforts, complementing traditional therapeutic approaches focused directly on symptom reduction.