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. 2022 Dec;38(4):1195-1214.
doi: 10.1007/s10899-021-10081-8. Epub 2021 Oct 18.

Life Satisfaction and Online-Gambling Communities: A Cross-National Study of Gambling Activities Among Young Finnish, American, South Korean and Spanish People

Aki Koivula  1 , Atte Oksanen  2 , Anu Sirola  2 , Iina Savolainen  2 , Markus Kaakinen  3 , Izabela Zych  4 , Hye-Jin Paek  5
Affiliations

Life Satisfaction and Online-Gambling Communities: A Cross-National Study of Gambling Activities Among Young Finnish, American, South Korean and Spanish People

Aki Koivula et al. J Gambl Stud. 2022 Dec.

Abstract

Gambling is a potential hazard to life satisfaction, yet peer relationships online might buffer this risk. This study analyzed the ways problem gambling is associated with life satisfaction as well as the extent to which the use of online-gambling community participation and, alternatively, offline belonging affect this association. A web-based survey was conducted among people aged 15-25 in Finland (n = 1,200), the United States (n = 1,212), South Korea (n = 1,192), and Spain (n = 1,212). The main variables included life satisfaction, problem gambling measured by the South Oaks Gambling Screen, online-gambling community participation, and offline belonging. Controls included compulsive internet use, hazardous drinking, psychological distress, income, age, and gender. Linear regression models were employed with country interactions. Results showed problem gambling had a negative relationship with life satisfaction, but the association was explained by control variables. Online-gambling community participation had a positive relationship with life satisfaction, especially among pathological gamblers who had poor offline relationships. Country comparisons revealed that the direct effect of excessive gambling and the compensating effect of online-gambling communities were most prominent in Finland.

Keywords: Life satisfaction; Online communities; Online networks; Online-gambling communities; Problem gambling.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Life satisfaction according to problem gambling severity by country, unadjusted and adjusted predictive margins with 95% confidence intervals from the OLS models presented in Table 4
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Life satisfaction according to use of gambling communities and offline belonging among probable pathological gamblers, adjusted predictive margins with 95% confidence intervals from the OLS models presented in Table 3
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The effect of gambling-community participation among the probable pathological gamblers according to the level of offline belonging by country. Adjusted predictive margins with 95% confidence intervals from the OLS models
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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