Cross-lagged panel model among metacognitions about gambling, emotion regulation, and gambling disorder: A two-wave longitudinal study.

Given the prominent role of metacognitions highlighted by the Self-Regulatory Executive Function model, longitudinal evidence is warranted to clarify how metacognitions about gambling and emotion regulation may jointly contribute to gambling disorder (GD). The present study aimed to test a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM), which allows testing not only the relative prospective values of metacognitions about gambling and emotion regulation on GD tendency, but also the bidirectional associations, if any, among them. Five hundred eighty-five Chinese adult lifetime gamblers (Mage = 30.09, SD = 8.13; 48.2% female) participated in this two-wave longitudinal online questionnaire study. CLPM results indicated that both positive and negative metacognitions about gambling were more salient predictors than emotion regulation of GD tendency. In addition, negative metacognitions about gambling were significantly predicted by GD tendency and emotion regulation, indicating a metacognition-GD vicious cycle as well as a potential protective role of emotion regulation in the cycle. These findings highlight the important role of metacognitions in GD vulnerability and provide clinical insights such as incorporating emotion regulation training in Metacognitive Therapy based interventions for GD.