TOPLINE:

Gambling disorder was associated with a significantly increased risk for suicide attempts and ideation — and eight-time higher odds of suicide mortality — compared with not gambling, a new meta-analysis showed. Additionally, the strongest associations between gambling and suicidal outcomes were in studies originating in Europe and North America.

METHODOLOGY:

• The meta-analysis included 14 high-quality observational studies published up to March 2025 and included more than 500,000 participants.
• The studies assessed gambling disorder and its potential association with suicide ideation, attempts, and mortality.

TAKEAWAY:

• Gambling disorder was significantly associated with suicide outcomes, including increased risk for suicidal ideation (odds ratio [OR], 1.6) in seven studies, suicide attempts (OR, 2.9) in nine studies, and suicide mortality (OR, 8.5) in two studies (P < .001 for all).
• Even after accounting for potential confounders, the pooled analyses showed consistent associations.
• A subgroup analysis by study design revealed no statistically significant risk in case-control studies (OR, 1.6) but there was a significantly higher risk in cross-sectional (OR, 3.3) and cohort (OR, 4.1 ) studies.
• The strongest associations between gambling disorder and suicidal outcomes were observed in studies from Europe (OR, 4.4; P < .001), followed by North America (OR, 2.4; P < .001) and Oceania (OR, 2.2), whereas Asian studies showed a nonsignificant association (OR, 1.1).

IN PRACTICE:

“These results underscore the critical need for early identification of at-risk individuals with gambling problems and implementation of targeted suicide prevention strategies for this vulnerable population,” the investigators wrote.

SOURCE:

The research was co-led by Liaoyao Wang, Hangzhou Wuyunshan Hospital (Hangzhou Institute for Health Promotion), Hangzhou, China, and Xinyi Qin and Yuejie Lu, both of The Fifth Clinical Medical School, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China. It was published online on October 29 in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

LIMITATIONS:

The 14 studies had a high degree of heterogeneity, and the inclusion of cross-sectional studies limited the ability to determine causal relationships. Some studies relied on self-reported questionnaires, which may have introduced bias.

DISCLOSURES:

The meta-analysis was funded by the Major Project of Hangzhou Health Science and Technology Plan. The investigators reported no relevant conflicts of interest.

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