Gambling and the Role of Resilience in an International Online Sample of Current and Ex-serving Military Personnel as Compared to the General Population

AbstractCompared to the general population, military personnel are particularly vulnerable to developing gambling problems. The present study examined the presentation of gambling —including gambling frequency, personal thoughts on reducing gambling and recommendations from others to reduce gambling—across these populations. Additionally, the study measured the association between gambling and various psychosocial risk and protective factors—including psychological dist ress, suicidal ideation, external encouragement to reduce substance use, days out of role, personal wellbeing, resilience, social support and intimate bonds. Data was extracted from the Global Health& Wellbeing Survey, an online self-report survey conducted in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Of the 10,765 eligible respondents, 394 were military veterans and 337 were active military personnel. Consistent with previous research, a higher proportion of gambling behaviours were observed in both current and ex-serving military samples, compared to the general population. To varying degrees, significant associations were found between the different gambling items and all psychosocial risk and protective factors in the general population sample. However, the military sample yielded only one significant association between gambling frequency and the protective factor ‘resilience’. A post hoc stepwise linear regression analysis demonstrated the possible mediating ...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - Category: Addiction Source Type: research