Problematic gaming, problem gambling: co-occurrence and association with depression and generalised anxiety disorder among working-age adults in Latvia

AIMS: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of problematic gaming and gambling and the co-occurrence of these behaviours in association with depression and generalised anxiety disorder in a representative general working-age adult population in Latvia.

METHODS: Data from a survey of 4,912 respondents aged 15-64 in the general population of Latvia were studied. The Game Addiction Scale, the Problem Gambling Severity Index, and the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales were used to obtain self-reported data for the target study variables. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression models assess the prevalence of the variables and estimate the odds ratios for depression and generalised anxiety disorder.

RESULTS: By adjusting for age, sex, and income level, both problematic gaming and gambling significantly increased the odds of depression and anxiety by an average of three times. The prevalence of the co-occurrence of problematic gaming and gambling was 0.8%, and it did not elevate the odds of depression and anxiety compared to having either problematic gaming or gambling alone, which maintains the overall threefold increase of both depression and anxiety ( p  < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: In the general adult population, the presence of problematic gaming and gambling indicates a higher likelihood for the individual burden of mental health problems due to the co-existence of depression or anxiety. Thus, the complexity of problematic gaming and gambling has to be taken into account when planning and implementing effective mental health interventions.