Metacognitions, Emotion Regulation, and Gambling Disorder: A Two-Wave Longitudinal Study

This longitudinal study examined how metacognitions about gambling and emotion regulation jointly contribute to gambling disorder among 585 Chinese adults using cross-lagged panel analysis. Results showed that both positive and negative metacognitions about gambling were stronger predictors of gambling disorder than emotion regulation alone, and identified a bidirectional relationship suggesting a vicious cycle between metacognitions and gambling disorder that emotion regulation may help interrupt.