![]() In Sweden, approximately 160,000 significant others are affected by individuals that are at risk for developing gambling problems ( Hofmarcher et al., 2020), making this a public health issue. The prevalence of at-risk and problem gambling is 1.3% in Sweden ( Hofmarcher et al., 2020). ![]() This study highlights that vulnerability factors, isolation, and worry can be triggers for individuals with common mental disorders to engage in gambling as well as the importance of screening this population for gambling problems. The mediation showed that the onset of gambling was linked with the worry of COVID-infection and that worry predicted the level of gambling problems. Furthermore, the individuals that started to gamble during the pandemic had an even higher degree of at-risk and problem gambling. The pre-pandemic gamblers had a high level of at-risk and problem gambling. The results showed a high prevalence of at-risk and problem gambling in both groups. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a structural equation model to investigate mediation. Furthermore, we explored if worry and isolation mediate gambling and problem gambling. This study aimed to explore the level of gambling problems among individuals with a history of mental disorders, namely, (i) pre-pandemic gamblers and (ii) pandemic-onset gamblers. It remains unknown whether other vulnerable groups, such as individuals with common mental disorders increased their gambling. However, these studies only included individuals with previous gambling problems. ![]() Studies were carried out to explore if this was true for gambling, typically revealing no overall increase in gambling behavior, although individuals who had previous experience with gambling problems were more likely to increase gambling during the pandemic. When the COVID-19 pandemic started spreading globally, there was a fear that addictive behaviors would increase due to changes in everyday life caused by restrictions due to COVID-19. ![]()
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