A groundbreaking longitudinal study conducted by researchers at the University of Bristol has revealed a compelling and troubling connection between problem gambling and a sustained increase in suicide attempts among young adults in the United Kingdom. This research, leveraging a rich dataset spanning nearly a decade, extends our understanding of how gambling harms profoundly impact mental health outcomes over time, indicating an urgent public health crisis that demands immediate, expansive response.
The study utilized extensive data from the renowned “Children of the 90s” cohort, a landmark longitudinal investigation tracking the health and development of over 14,000 families beginning in the early 1990s. This unique dataset allowed researchers to follow participants from birth into early adulthood, offering an unparalleled view of the long-term consequences of gambling behaviors. The longitudinal design enabled the team to control for pre-existing mental health conditions that might predispose individuals to suicidality, addressing a critical limitation in prior gambling research.
At the core of the study’s methodology was the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), a widely validated and reliable self-report instrument used to classify the severity of gambling harm. Scores of eight or higher on the PGSI identify individuals experiencing problem gambling. Through rigorous statistical analysis, the researchers established a clear dose-response relationship between PGSI scores and suicide attempts, with risk increasing progressively alongside gambling severity.
Remarkably, the research found that individuals categorized as problem gamblers had a tripled risk of attempting suicide one year subsequent to their reported gambling behaviors and a quadrupled risk extending out to four years later. This temporal relationship emphasizes the chronic nature of gambling-related psychological distress and its enduring implications for suicidal behavior, highlighting the need for preventive interventions that not only address the immediate consequences but also the protracted risk period.
Particularly stark were the findings among 20-year-olds, the age group most responsive to the PGSI metrics in predicting suicidality. A 20 percent increase in suicide attempts was observed with every incremental point increase in PGSI score. This vividly illustrates how gambling problems during late adolescence and early adulthood embed a significant risk factor for suicide, coinciding with a life stage already vulnerable to psychological disorders and socio-economic challenges.
Lead author Olly Bastiani, PhD researcher in the University of Bristol’s Translational and Applied Research Group, emphasized the rigorous approach of the study: “By tracking individuals from birth, we could effectively disentangle the effects of problem gambling from pre-existing suicidal ideation, a confounding factor that has complicated earlier associations found in gambling research.” This meticulous methodological framework strengthens the causal inference that gambling harms substantially elevate suicide risk.
Senior author Dr. Philip Newall, a prominent psychologist and global expert on gambling harms, highlighted the shifting social context in which these findings must be interpreted. “The study participants grew up when gambling was less pervasive and less aggressively marketed. Today’s young people face a gambling environment saturated with digital accessibility and relentless advertising, likely exacerbating risk levels,” Dr. Newall noted. This underscores the pressing necessity for regulatory reform and targeted public health campaigns tailored to contemporary gambling landscapes.
Statistics underpinning the magnitude of gambling harms in the UK are alarming. Current estimates indicate that one in five individuals in the population is adversely affected either directly or indirectly by gambling. Furthermore, gambling is implicated in up to 496 suicides each year across England alone, representing a significant cause of preventable premature mortality. The economic burden attributable to gambling-related harm has also been quantified, with recent analyses estimating societal costs exceeding £1.77 billion annually.
The study’s publication in the peer-reviewed journal Addiction commands attention from policymakers and mental health professionals alike. Its findings remarkably reinforce the necessity for integrated approaches to suicide prevention that explicitly incorporate gambling harm mitigation strategies. Early identification and support for young individuals exhibiting problem gambling behaviors could be pivotal in curbing the trajectory toward suicidal crises.
Dr. Newall further calls for population-wide preventative measures, including stringent controls on gambling advertising, to diminish the normalization and glamorization of gambling. Such interventions could attenuate exposure and reduce the incidence of gambling initiation, particularly among vulnerable youth. Given gambling’s embedded status within the government’s suicide prevention framework, these findings provide a crucial evidence base to advocate for enhanced, sector-wide policy efforts.
The Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms Research, the entity spearheading this investigation, represents a multidisciplinary nexus of experts committed to advancing understanding and informing policy around gambling-related harms. Their mission encapsulates raising awareness, strengthening consumer protections, and optimizing strategies for support and treatment. This study aligns directly with their overarching vision to mitigate the profound biopsychosocial consequences of gambling across the UK and beyond.
In conclusion, this rigorous nine-year cohort study elucidates the profound and lasting impact of problem gambling on suicidality among young adults. It stresses that the harms of gambling extend well beyond financial loss, permeating mental health and survival outcomes. The findings mandate an urgent, multifaceted public health response that harnesses research insights to enact policy reform, broaden clinical interventions, and ultimately save lives.
Subject of Research: People
Article Title: ‘The relationship between Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) scores and suicidality: Results of a nine-year cohort study of young UK adults’
News Publication Date: 17-Sep-2025
Web References:
– https://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/
– https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/persons/olly-bastiani
– https://www.bristol.ac.uk/people/person/Philip-Newall-181314f4-b838-47ff-9da2-e1e7377cb529/
– https://www.bristol.ac.uk/research/groups/gambling-harms
– http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/add.70156
References:
– Bastiani, O., Newall, P., et al. (2025). ‘The relationship between Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) scores and suicidality: Results of a nine-year cohort study of young UK adults’, Addiction. DOI: 10.1111/add.70156
Keywords: Human health, gambling harms, suicide risk, problem gambling, longitudinal study, mental health, public health, adolescent health, UK, epidemiology
