Work

Breaking the cycle: how loneliness substitution and game design alter gambling immersion in older adults

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Loneliness and gambling among older adults are interlinked public health concerns. Gambling immersion may increase exposure to financial, emotional, and relational harm, yet few studies distinguish how social, emotional, and existential loneliness shape this process. Drawing on compensatory-use perspectives and Activity Theory, we propose a loneliness-compensation-intervention matching framework for targeted harm reduction. We conducted three field experiments with a total of 511 older participants to test the proposed framework. Study 1 examined how social, emotional, and existential loneliness predict gambling immersion. Study 2 evaluated whether work engagement characteristics (routine vs. non-routine; paid vs. volunteer) differentially reduce immersion across loneliness subtypes. Study 3 assessed whether structural game-design interventions (mandatory breaks) reduce immersion and whether belongingness mediates these effects. Standardized scales measured loneliness and self-reported immersion where applicable, while Study 3 used a task-based immersion indicator. Moderated mediation models were used to evaluate hypotheses. (1) Emotional loneliness was associated with the highest level of gambling immersion, followed by social loneliness, with existential loneliness leading to the lowest immersion. (2) Intervention effectiveness depended on alignment with loneliness type: routine work and paid compensation were associated with lower immersion among socially lonely individuals, volunteer framing was associated with lower immersion among emotionally lonely individuals, and non-routine work together with paid compensation was associated with lower immersion among existentially lonely individuals. (3) Mandatory breaks embedded in the gambling game design reduced immersion for socially and emotionally lonely participants but did not reduce immersion among existentially lonely participants, for whom breaks may even increase immersion when they fail to reconstruct belongingness or address meaning-related needs. This study contributes a theoretically grounded preliminary framework that bridges psychological compensation and environmental design. By aligning specific loneliness subtypes with tailored activities and structural game design interventions, our findings guide precision strategies for gambling harm reduction in aging populations.

Source: Harm Reduction Journal

DOI: 10.1186/s12954-026-01557-0

Authors: Yidan Huang, Rui Yao, Dongdong Zhu, Qi Li

Institutions: Huaqiao University, University of Missouri

Language: English

Topic: Gambling Behavior and Treatments

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,290