Recovery Capital and Symptom Improvement in Gambling Disorder: Correlations with Spirituality and Stressful Life Events in Younger but Not Older Adults

AbstractAlthough age-related differences have been reported in gambling disorder, prior studies have not examined how age may influence recovery in gambling disorder. Recovery may be influenced by positive factors (e.g., spirituality and recovery capital) and negative factors (e.g., depression, anxiety, and stressful life events). The current study examined associations between these positive and negative factors and gambling disorder DSM-5 symptom improvement in younger and older adults. Younger (less than 55  years of age; n = 86) and older (55 years or older; n = 54) adults, with lifetime gambling disorder treated currently or within the past 5 years in five treatment centers in Israel were assessed using structured scales on past-year and lifetime DSM-5 gambling disorder, intrinsic spiritua lity, recovery capital, anxiety, depression and stressful life-events. Among younger adults, recovery capital and intrinsic spirituality were associated with gambling disorder symptom improvement. Among older adults, only recovery capital was associated with gambling disorder symptom improvement. Co rrelations between recovery capital and spirituality (z = 2.34,p = 0.02) and recovery capital and stressful life events (z = 2.29,p = 0.02) were stronger in younger than in older adults. Recovery capital is an important resource that should be considered across older and younger adults with gambling disorder. Spirituality and stressful life events may operate diff...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - Category: Addiction Source Type: research