Stressful Life Events and Problem Gambling Among Chinese Lottery Gamblers: The Mediating Effects of Coping Strategies and Magical Thinking

Problem gambling poses serious harm to individuals and societies worldwide. This study aims to investigate the relationship between stressful life events and problem gambling, and further explore the mediating role of coping strategies and magical thinking. Currently, the research on problem gambling is widely conducted worldwide. However, due to the unique characteristics of China's gambling industry, research on problem gambling conducted in the Chinese mainland has always been an underrepresented area in international gambling research. This study recruited participants from a province in central China, and data from 483 of them were ultimately analyzed. The data analysis results indicate that task-oriented coping, emotion-oriented coping, avoidance-oriented coping, and magical thinking all serve as mediators in the relationship between stressful life events and problem gambling. Emotion-oriented coping and magical thinking, avoidance-oriented coping and magical thinking, all serve as serial mediators in the relationship between stressful life events and problem gambling. Task-oriented coping and magical thinking did not act as serial mediators in this relationship. This study demonstrates that helping problem gamblers develop effective coping strategies and reduce their level of magical thinking is crucial for treating their problem gambling.