Factors Related to Depressive Symptoms in People with Gambling Disorder

Gambling disorders may be associated with mental health issues, such as depressive disorders, as well as poor overall health and specific medical conditions. This study was a case-control study that compared a group with depressive symptoms (n = 33) to a group without depressive symptoms (n = 33), aiming to explore the relationship between factors associated with depressive symptoms. The group with depressive symptoms had shorter weekly exercise time and higher problem gambling severity and physical symptom scores than the group without depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms were associated with increased levels of problem gambling severity and physical symptoms. In the group with depressive symptoms, a decrease in the severity of problem gambling was associated with an increase in problem drinking. Although serotonin levels did not differ between the two groups based on depressive symptoms, serotonin levels were correlated with changes in appetite in the depressive symptom group. The lower the serotonin levels in the group with depressive symptoms, the greater the tendency to borrow money or sell personal belongings to fund gambling activities. Problem gambling severity had a greater impact on depressive symptoms than on physical symptoms. The results showed that gambling severity and physical symptoms were related to depressive symptoms in individuals with gambling disorders.