Financially focused self-concept and disordered gambling are bidirectionally related over time

Abstract

Objective

Prior research has shown a moderately positive association between financially focused self-concept and disordered gambling. Because most prior research was cross-sectional, it is unclear whether financially focused self-concept contributes to the onset and maintenance of disordered gambling whether a financially focused self-concept is a consequence of disordered gambling, or both. Thus, we addressed this gap in knowledge by examining the temporal association between financially focused self-concept and disordered gambling symptoms.

Method

Two longitudinal studies were conducted, involving participants who gamble. Study 1 included 308 university students and Study 2 included 2,008 community members. They completed the Financially Focused Self-Concept Scale (FFS) and the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) at two separate measurement occasions, spaced approximately 6–7 months apart.

Results

Preliminary analyses confirmed that the FFS and PGSI each had strict or at least partial temporal measurement invariance in both studies. As expected, in Studies 1 and 2, participants with higher (relative to lower) initial financial focus had more disordered gambling symptoms 6-7 months later. Conversely, in Studies 1 and 2, participants with more (relative to less) severe initial disordered gambling symptoms increased their financial focus 6-7 months later. The magnitude of the effects was moderate in size.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that the temporal relation between financially focused self-concept and disordered gambling is bidirectional. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for prevention and treatment interventions as well as for the FFS and PGSI psychometric literatures.

Keywords:

• Disordered gambling
• financial success
• self-concept
• longitudinal
• temporal measurement invariance

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 The pattern of results remained virtually the same when statistically controlling for participants age and sex. See OSF for results of these analyses.

2 The pattern of results remained virtually the same when statistically controlling for participants age and sex. See OSF for results of these analyses.

Additional information

Funding

The research design and data analytic approach were not pre-registered. Study 1 was unfunded whereas Study 2 was funded through a COVID-19 Rapid Response Research Grant (#RSGRANT185594) awarded by Carleton University. The findings were presented at the 18th International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking. All authors report no conflicts of interest or constraints on publishing.