Mediating Effect of Depression on the Relationship between Gambling Severity and Cognitive Distortion: Secondary Data Analysis of Korea Center on Gambling Problems

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test the mediating effect of depression on the relationship between gambling severity and cognitive distortion in Koreans with a gambling disorder. Methods: Secondary data from a comprehensive assessment of problematic gambling between 2015 and 2017 on Korea Center on Gambling Problems were used. The subjects in this study were 254 Koreans with that gambling disorder. Data were collected with self-report structured questionnaires which included individual characteristics, the Korean version of Problem Gambling Severity Index, the Center for the Epidemiologic Studies Depression, and the Gambling Related Cognitions Scale. Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA with the Scheffe test, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and a mediation analysis of the Baron and Kenny method with the SPSS 22.0 program. Results: Significant correlations emerged among the three variables, gambling severity, depression, and cognitive distortion. Depression exerted a partial mediating effect (β=.20, p<.001) on the relationship between gambling severity and cognitive distortion (Sobel test: z=2.33, p=.012). Conclusion: Based on this study’s findings, nursing intervention programs focused on managing gambling severity and decreasing depression are highly recommended to alleviate cognitive distortion in people with a gambling disorder.