TOPLINE:

In a UK birth cohort analysis, harmful gambling as measured using Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) scores was associated with greater odds of current and future non‑fatal suicide attempts cross‑sectionally and longitudinally over 1‑ and 4‑year follow‑ups.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a longitudinal study of the general population in the UK and analysed data of 2801 participants (62.4% women) from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) birth cohort.
• Participants completed self-reported measures of non-fatal suicide attempts at ages of 16, 24, and 25 years.
• Harmful gambling was measured using PGSI scores at 20 and 24 years.
• Researchers analysed associations between PGSI scores and suicide attempts, while adjusting for sex, maternal education, economic activity, hyperactivity, alcohol disorder likelihood, and suicidality at the age of 16 years.

TAKEAWAY:

• The prevalence of past-year suicide attempts was 2.57% at the age of 24 years and 1.86% at the age of 25 years.
• Cross‑sectionally, at the age of 24 years, a higher PGSI score was associated with past‑year suicide attempts (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.13; P = .001).
• PGSI scores at 20 years were positively associated with past-year suicide attempts at 24 years (aOR, 1.20; P < .001), whereas their association was inconclusive with past-year suicide attempts at 25 years (aOR, 1.14; P = .058).
• Between‑wave increases in PGSI scores (at the age of 20-24 years) did not show clear evidence of predicting suicide attempts, implying that the association may be more complex over long term.

IN PRACTICE:

"The present study found evidence of positive associations between harmful gambling and current and future suicide attempts among young UK adults, which was unlikely to be confounded by pre-existing suicidality. These findings can inform policy stakeholders when considering potential gambling harm prevention measures," the authors wrote. "These results help add to the justification for the UK government's focus on gambling as a priority area in their suicide prevention strategy," they added.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Oliver Bastiani, School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, England. It was published online on September 16 in Addiction.

LIMITATIONS:

The ALSPAC's findings were geographically and temporally limited, with the cohort becoming less representative over time due to higher attrition among male individuals and low-income households. The study's most recent PGSI measurements were from August 2017, potentially missing the effects of newer gambling technologies. Some suicide-related questions were only accessible to participants who reported self-harm, potentially underestimating the prevalence of suicidality. The findings were potentially affected by a survivor bias. Additionally, this study excluded potentially relevant covariates such as depression, anxiety, and illicit drug use.

DISCLOSURES:

This study was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, Responsible Gambling Fund, Wellcome Trust, and Medical Research Council. One author reported being a member of an advisory group of the Gambling Commission in Great Britain; contributing to funded research projects for the study of gambling; and receiving honoraria, fees, and funding for those from various sources.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.