Problem Gambling and Suicidal Behaviours in Young Adult men in Ghana: A Moderated Mediation Model of Psychological Distress and Social Support

Problem gambling has been recognised as an important public health issue because of its harmful consequences at the personal, interpersonal, and societal levels. There is a proliferation of gambling activities in Ghana owing to increased access to the internet, soaring smartphone penetration, and an influx of sports betting companies. Yet, very little research has addressed the harm associated with problem gambling in Ghana. This study assessed if the effect of problem gambling severity on suicidal behaviours (ideation, planning, and attempts) through psychological distress is contingent on the level of perceived social support. A total of 350 young adult men in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana provided the data for the current analysis. The data were analysed using a moderated mediation approach. The results showed that psychological distress is an important intervening mechanism through which problem gambling severity influences suicidality. In addition, the positive association between psychological distress and suicidal behaviours was found to be conditional on the levels of perceived social support. In other words, our results showed that problem gambling may first trigger episodes of psychological distress, which, in turn, can lead to suicidality among problem gamblers who report low to moderate levels of perceived social support. Our findings suggest that young adult problem gamblers require higher levels of social support from family, friends, and significant others to prevent those experiencing psychological distress from engaging in suicidal behaviours.