Data_Sheet_1_Isolation and worry in relation to gambling and onset of gambling among psychiatry patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mediation study.PDF

When the COVID-19 pandemic started spreading globally, there was a fear that addictive behaviors would increase due to changes in everyday life caused by restrictions due to COVID-19. Studies were carried out to explore if this was true for gambling, typically revealing no overall increase in gambling behavior, although individuals who had previous experience with gambling problems were more likely to increase gambling during the pandemic. However, these studies only included individuals with previous gambling problems. It remains unknown whether other vulnerable groups, such as individuals with common mental disorders increased their gambling. This study aimed to explore the level of gambling problems among individuals with a history of mental disorders, namely, (i) pre-pandemic gamblers and (ii) pandemic-onset gamblers. Furthermore, we explored if worry and isolation mediate gambling and problem gambling. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a structural equation model to investigate mediation. The results showed a high prevalence of at-risk and problem gambling in both groups. The pre-pandemic gamblers had a high level of at-risk and problem gambling. Furthermore, the individuals that started to gamble during the pandemic had an even higher degree of at-risk and problem gambling. The mediation showed that the onset of gambling was linked with the worry of COVID-infection and that worry predicted the level of gambling problems. This study highlights that vulnerability factors, isolation, and worry can be triggers for individuals with common mental disorders to engage in gambling as well as the importance of screening this population for gambling problems.

随着新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）大流行在全球范围内蔓延，学界普遍担忧，受疫情防控限制措施引发的日常生活变迁，会导致成瘾行为增多。针对赌博行为是否也会出现此类增长，学界开展了相关研究；现有研究普遍未发现赌博行为整体增多，但曾存在赌博问题的个体，在疫情期间更有可能增加赌博频次。然而，此类研究的样本仅纳入了既往存在赌博问题的人群，而其他脆弱群体——如罹患常见精神障碍的个体——是否会在疫情期间增加赌博行为，目前仍不得而知。
本研究旨在调查有精神障碍病史人群的赌博问题严重程度，具体分为两类：（i）疫情前即存在赌博行为的人群，（ii）疫情期间首次开始赌博的人群。此外，本研究还探讨了焦虑情绪与社交隔离是否在赌博行为及赌博问题中起到中介作用。本研究采用描述性统计与结构方程模型（structural equation model）对数据进行分析，以验证中介效应。
研究结果显示，两类人群中均存在较高比例的赌博风险人群与问题赌徒。疫情前即有赌博行为的人群，其赌博风险与问题赌博程度均较高；而疫情期间首次开始赌博的人群，此类情况的严重程度更甚。中介效应分析结果表明，首次开始赌博的行为与对新冠感染的焦虑情绪存在关联，且此类焦虑可预测个体的赌博问题严重程度。本研究强调，脆弱性因素、社交隔离与焦虑情绪，均可能成为罹患常见精神障碍的个体参与赌博行为的诱因；同时也提示，对该群体开展赌博问题筛查具有重要意义。