The Role of Acculturative Stress, Emotion Dysregulation, and Escape Motivation in Problem Gambling Among Immigrants in Australia

Acculturative stress is a known risk factor for problem gambling among immigrant populations, but the psychological mechanisms underlying this relationship are not fully understood. This study tested a conceptual model in which the association between acculturative stress and problem gambling severity is explained through the sequential roles of emotion dysregulation and escape motivation. A sample of 70 first- and second-generation Australian immigrants completed an online survey measuring acculturative stress, emotion dysregulation, escape motivation, and problem gambling severity. Correlation analyses revealed significant positive intercorrelations among all variables. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that while acculturative stress was a significant initial predictor of problem gambling, its effect was fully attenuated when emotion dysregulation was added to the model. The addition of the escape motivation led to a further significant increase in explained variance, emerging as the strongest unique predictor in the final model. The findings support a pathway where acculturative stress contributes to emotion dysregulation, which in turn fosters gambling to escape negative affect, ultimately leading to greater gambling severity. Clinical implications suggest that interventions for immigrant gamblers should address acculturative stress, emotion regulation skills and escape motives.