Prevalence and characteristics of concerned significant others of individuals with gambling problems in Sweden: A...

Gambling problems impact not only individuals who gamble but also those closely associated with them, referred to as concerned significant others (CSOs). Many of the harms experienced by individuals who gamble also affect CSOs. These include negative economic consequences and physical and mental health problems (e.g. depression and anxiety). This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of CSOs affected by gambling at the population level in Sweden and to describe the characteristics of CSOs.

The data were derived from a survey conducted on a nationally representative sample of the Swedish population. The initial sample comprised 27,000 individuals aged 17-84 years living in Sweden. The response rate was 36.8%, resulting in an analytical sample of 9819 respondents. The study had a cross-sectional design, and Poisson regression models with robust error variance were applied to assess associations.

A total of 5.5% of the sample reported being a CSO of an individual who gambled during the past 12 months. No significant sex differences were found. An age gradient was observed, with older adults (aged 50-84 years) being less likely to report being a CSO. CSOs had higher scores on the Problem Gambling Severity Index and were more likely to report heavy episodic drinking, daily smoking and drug use during the past year. They also reported poorer health than non-CSOs. When comparing all CSOs with those who reported negative consequences of being a CSO, we found higher risks of problem gambling, daily smoking and poor health among those reporting negative consequences.

The findings suggest that gambling prevention and treatment efforts should also target CSOs due to the negative consequences they experience.