Shadows of the Past: Nostalgia Mediates the Relation Between Gambling Identity and Recovery Outcomes
Session Title
Poster session
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Start Date
27-5-2026 12:00 AM
Abstract
According to the social identity approach to health, successful recovery from gambling addiction involves transforming one’s social identity from “gambler” to “person in recovery.” However, many individuals continue to identify as a gambler even after achieving abstinence. The present research introduces addiction-related nostalgia (ARN)—sentimental longing for one’s addicted past—as a mechanism that may link lingering gambling identity to poorer recovery outcomes. Across two studies involving individuals in recovery from a gambling disorder, we tested whether ARN mediates the association between gambling identity and recovery outcomes. In Study 1 (cross-sectional; N=451), ARN mediated the relation between gambling identity and concern about relapse, but not intention to remain in recovery. In Study 2 (three-wave longitudinal; N=580), gambling identity at Week 1 predicted ARN at Week 2, which in turn predicted greater relapse concern and reduced intentions to remain in recovery at Week 3. These findings identify ARN as a psychological process that may pull recovering individuals toward their addictive past, offering insight into identity-based vulnerabilities in recovery.
Shadows of the Past: Nostalgia Mediates the Relation Between Gambling Identity and Recovery Outcomes
According to the social identity approach to health, successful recovery from gambling addiction involves transforming one’s social identity from “gambler” to “person in recovery.” However, many individuals continue to identify as a gambler even after achieving abstinence. The present research introduces addiction-related nostalgia (ARN)—sentimental longing for one’s addicted past—as a mechanism that may link lingering gambling identity to poorer recovery outcomes. Across two studies involving individuals in recovery from a gambling disorder, we tested whether ARN mediates the association between gambling identity and recovery outcomes. In Study 1 (cross-sectional; N=451), ARN mediated the relation between gambling identity and concern about relapse, but not intention to remain in recovery. In Study 2 (three-wave longitudinal; N=580), gambling identity at Week 1 predicted ARN at Week 2, which in turn predicted greater relapse concern and reduced intentions to remain in recovery at Week 3. These findings identify ARN as a psychological process that may pull recovering individuals toward their addictive past, offering insight into identity-based vulnerabilities in recovery.