Problem gambling assessment: advancing knowledge on psychological protective factors for young adult mental health

Abstract

Problem gambling represents a major and under-recognized mental-health challenge among young adults. Reclassified in DSM-5 as an addictive disorder, it shares neurobehavioral mechanisms with substance use. Despite its growing prevalence, there is a lack of regionally validated tools and longitudinal evidence linking emotional dysregulation, cognitive control, and mental health outcomes. Yet, the validity of existing assessment instruments and the understanding of psychological protective factors remain limited in Eastern Europe. The PGA-ALERT project (2024–2026) implements two complementary studies in Romania and the Republic of Moldova. Study 1 evaluates the psychometric properties and diagnostic accuracy of six international problem-gambling scales (PGSI, SOGS, NODS-GD, GDIT, BPGS-2, PGSI-Short Form) in clinical and community samples (N ≈ 320). Study 2 is a longitudinal investigation of anxiety, depression, cognitive control, flexibility, emotion-regulation strategies, and metacognitions as mediators or moderators of gambling involvement. The research integrates advanced psychometric analyses, cross-lagged modeling, and intercultural data comparison to ensure methodological rigor and cross-national validity. Expected outcomes include validated, culturally adapted tools for assessing gambling risk, empirical models of how mental-health symptoms interact with gambling behaviors, and identification of cognitive-emotional mechanisms that buffer progression to gambling disorder. The collaboration between UAIC Iași and USMF Chișinău strengthens regional psychometric capacity and contributes novel evidence to European public-mental-health research. Findings are expected to inform the development of early screening programs and preventive mental-health policies addressing behavioral addictions among youth in Eastern Europe.