The Role of Anxiety and Dissociation in Young Australian Gamblers

The aim of the present study was to examine predictors of ‘escape style’ problem gambling among young Australian gamblers. Anxiety and dissociation are considered to be predictors of ‘escape style’ gambling behaviour although this assessment has neglected consideration of different modes of gambling. This study builds on existing research, to examine the role of anxiety and dissociation in the gambling habits of young Australian male and female gamblers. One hundred and forty-two participants aged between 18 and 35 years self-selected and completed an online questionnaire. The hypothesis that gamblers would have similar levels of dissociation and anxiety despite different modes of gambling was supported. The hypothesis that anxiety and dissociation would both together and uniquely predict problem gambling behaviour across a range of gambling modalities was supported. Further, the hypothesis that there would be an interaction effect between anxiety and dissociation such that their presence together would predict a higher degree of problem gambling behaviour was supported. Results suggest that anxiety and dissociation play an important role in ‘escape style’ gambling and that strategies to combat problem gambling may benefit from research targeting anxiety and attempting to rechannel dissociative behaviour into healthier pursuits.