The role of loneliness, negative affectivity, mentalization, and alcohol use in adolescent gambling

Background: The causes and consequences of youth problem gambling have become an area of increasing research interest. The present study investigated the role of loneliness, negative affective states, mentalization, and alcohol use among adolescent gamblers, exploring the relationships between the study variables utilizing path analysis.Methods: A sample of 352 adolescents aged between 16-19 years were administered the (i) South Oaks Gambling Screen Revised for Adolescents, (ii) Loneliness and Aloneness Scale for Children and Adolescents, (iii) Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, (iv) Reflective Functioning Questionnaire, and (v) Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test to assess gambling severity, loneliness, negative affectivity, mentalization, and alcohol consumption. It was hypothesized that: (i) female adolescents would be less likely to report gambling-related problems than male adolescents; (ii) loneliness, negative affectivity, deficit in mentalizing, and alcohol misuse would all be associated with gambling severity; and (iii) loneliness, negative affectivity, deficit in mentalizing, and alcohol misuse would all predict gambling severity. A further aim of the study was to explore the relationships between the study variables utilizing path analysis.Results: The regression analysis indicated that male gender, affinity for loneliness, hypomentalizing, and alcohol use significantly predicted adolescent gambling severity. Path analysis showed that stress contributed to gambling severity directly as well as indirectly (via hypomentalizing). Analysis of direct and indirect effects showed that unbalanced mentalizing strengthened the effect of stress on gambling severity.Conclusions: Given that loneliness and stress contribute to adolescent problematic gambling through the mediating role of hypomentalizing, clinical interventions should enhance adolescent gamblers' ability to process mental states in order to contribute to changing the trajectory that leads stressed and lonely adolescents to resort to gambling to improve their psychological wellbeing.