Associations Between Gambling Motives and More Severe Gambling Disorder – Does Gender Matter?

Gambling Disorder (GD) is a behavioural addiction with complex, detrimental psychological, economic, and social consequences. Previous research has examined gender differences in the prevalence of distinct gambling motives and has linked gambling motives to at-risk behaviour. Whether motives affect probabilities of transition to higher GD severity levels differently in males and females remains unclear. Using an online self-test, we assessed the prevalence distinct GD severity levels according to the DSM-5 criteria and gambling motives with items addressing domains of the "Gambling Motives Questionnaire - Financial" (GFQ-F). Associations between motives and GD severity at three transition points (no GD to mild, mild to moderate, moderate to severe GD) were analysed using age-adjusted logistic adjacent category regression models. Interaction terms (motive*gender) were examined to detect gender-specific "effects". Furthermore gender-stratified models were run. No significant gender*motive interactions emerged. In the total sample, a transition to a higher GD severity level was predicted by: "(to) Forget worries", "When depressed," and "(to) Earn money" at each transition point; "Thrill" and "Stress" at the first two points, and "Boredom" at the first point. In males, the results were nearly identical. In females only "Thrill", "Boredom", and "(to) Earn money" were predictive at the first transition point. Given the prevalence of coping motives in females and the consistent detrimental "effect" of coping and financial motives in males, these motives should be prioritized in treatment and support offers for both genders. For prevention, strategies targeting enhancement motives may be particularly effective.