Büşra Başer ÖZKOÇ, Ümmü Nur Kaya TAN, Hüseyin KARA, Müge TOPCUOĞLU, Ali ERDOĞAN, Sercan KARABULUT, Buket CİNEMRE
Kocaeli Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi - 2026;12(3):282-291
Objective: We aimed to estimate gambling participation and positive screening for probable gambling disorder and to examine their associations with hopelessness and suicide-related outcomes in an online sample of adults in Türkiye. Methods: In this cross-sectional web-based survey, 1,057 adults recruited online through non-probability convenience and snowball sampling completed the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), and Suicide Probability Scale (SPS). Group differences were examined using non-parametric tests, followed by multivariable regression analyses. Results: Gambling participation was reported by 30.7% (95% CI 28.0-33.6) of participants; 4.9% (95% CI 3.8-6.4) screened positive for probable gambling disorder using the Turkish SOGS cut-off of >=8. Participants reporting gambling had higher BHS and SPS scores, and differences were more pronounced among those screening positive for probable gambling disorder. The between-group difference in SPS scores among participants reporting gambling corresponded to a moderate-to-large effect (r=0.497, 95% CI 0.335-0.649). After covariate adjustment, gambling participation was associated with a 1.46-point higher BHS (95% CI 0.79-2.13) and 5.26-point higher SPS scores (95% CI 3.15-7.36). Among participants reporting gambling, positive screening was associated with 2.60-point higher BHS (95% CI 0.88-4.32) and 12.59-point higher SPS scores (95% CI 7.21-17.96). Gambling participation was also associated with histories of suicidal ideation (OR=1.71, 95% CI 1.17-2.50) and suicide attempt (OR=2.54, 95% CI 1.32-4.88). Conclusion: Gambling involvement, particularly positive SOGS screening, was associated with greater hopelessness and suicide-related symptom burden. The cross-sectional design and non-probability sampling preclude causal interpretation and population-level prevalence estimates.
