The relationship between online gambling addiction and dissociative symptoms in adults: The mediating role of depression and anxiety levels

Objective: This study seeks to examine how online gambling addiction with the levels of dissociative symptoms among adults, the mediating role of depression and anxiety levels in this relationship. Through this analysis, the study aims to enhance understanding of intricate interactions among variables. Method: The study involved 80 adult participants, both men and women, aged between 18 and 40, with an average age 27.96 (±6.06), who actively engage in online gambling. The sample size was determined using the G*Power 3.1.9 program. The majority of participants were male (68.75%) and had a bachelor's degree (56%). About 64% of the participants belonged to the middle-income group, while 50.62% were not in a relationship and 56% were living with their families. Additionally, 39.30% of the participants indicated a preference for playing slot games.For statistical data analysis, t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Bonferroni and Tamhane post hoc tests were used for multiple comparisons. The analysis of mediation effects awere conducted with the Bootstrap method via the IBM SPSS Process Macro 4.1 application. Results: According to our study,findings revealed that the total and unmediated effects of the online gambling addiction score on the dissociative symptoms scale were not statistically significant. However, the indirect effect of the online gambling addiction score on the dissociative symptoms scale was found to be significant. These findings indicate that in the relationship between the online gambling addiction scale score and the dissociative symptoms scale, depression scores (B=2.46, CI: 0.01-0.28, β=0.12) and anxiety scores (B=2.63, CI: 0.02-0.28, β=0.13) served as mediators. Conclusion: Results of the study indicate that depression and anxiety levels act as mediating role in the correlation between online gambling addiction and dissociative symptoms. Keywords: anxiety,depression,dissociation,online gambling addiction.