Relapse in disordered gambling: a systematic review from a biopsychosocial perspective

Torrance, Jamie; Quigley, Martyn; Heath, Conor; Cousins, Alecia; Dighton, Glen; Wright, Simon; Dymond, Simon; Newall, Philip

doi:10.1080/16066359.2026.2665613

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Relapse in disordered gambling: a systematic review from a biopsychosocial perspective

Jamie Torrance

, Martyn Quigley

, Conor Heath, Alecia Cousins

, Glen Dighton

, Simon Wright, Simon Dymond

, Philip Newall

Addiction Research & Theory, Pages: 1 - 25

Swansea University Authors: Jamie Torrance , Martyn Quigley , Conor Heath, Alecia Cousins , Glen Dighton , Simon Wright, Simon Dymond

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DOI (Published version): 10.1080/16066359.2026.2665613

Abstract

BackgroundRelapse is common among individuals undergoing treatment for gambling disorder (GD). Understanding the biological, psychological, and social (biopsychosocial (BPS)) factors that influence relapse in GD is important to guide clinical practice and improve treatment efficacy. However, evidenc...

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Published in:	Addiction Research & Theory
ISSN:	1606-6359 1476-7392
Published:	Informa UK Limited 2026
Online Access:	Check full text
URI:	https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71867

first_indexed	2026-05-08T16:01:43Z
last_indexed	2026-06-09T08:54:45Z
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Understanding the biological, psychological, and social (biopsychosocial (BPS)) factors that influence relapse in GD is important to guide clinical practice and improve treatment efficacy. However, evidence synthesis in this area is warranted to provide clarity and cohesion to the literature.MethodA systematic review of empirical research (2015–2026) was conducted. Included studies focused on factors that either predicted relapse in GD, or those that offered protection against relapse. Findings were synthesized according to the BPS model (PROSPERO ID: CRD42024521445).ResultsTwenty-six studies were included in the review. Overall, studies lacked heterogeneity, with most conducted in Spain (n = 19) and deriving from the same participant groups (n = 14). Biological factors such as younger age were associated with higher rates of GD relapse. Psychological predictors encompassed alcohol/substance use, personality traits (higher harm avoidance and lower self-directedness), cognitive factors (cognitive distortions, low cognitive flexibility, impulsivity), and poor psychopathological state. Social factors such as marital status (being single, divorced, or separated), lower education levels, involvement in crime, and exposure to gambling advertising also contributed to relapse risk. Relatedly, familial support, engaging in meaningful activities, and attendance at self-help meetings were protective against relapse.ConclusionsOverall, a broad range of BPS factors influence GD relapse. Despite the lack of heterogeneity in the included studies, these findings may contribute to better therapeutic understanding and practice. 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spelling	2026-06-08T12:39:00.5074189 v2 71867 2026-05-08 Relapse in disordered gambling: a systematic review from a biopsychosocial perspective de868c4f56d8f5fbecbd686fdbb7b4b5 0000-0001-5001-4126 Jamie Torrance Jamie Torrance true false 45ba0b00b12b2a4cd533dcd42f0121d9 0000-0003-4342-1369 Martyn Quigley Martyn Quigley true false 6eeecd35963de043215912c7e5a6df8a Conor Heath Conor Heath true false d6a58b5cb0cef9e120b0f9d65a9aa015 0000-0001-8591-2508 Alecia Cousins Alecia Cousins true false 2a413b069254b5edfb6509b4c3b41ad7 0000-0002-9283-5114 Glen Dighton Glen Dighton true false 070567bb5ce34cc7f4fa4a15fe09b404 Simon Wright Simon Wright true false 8ed0024546f2588fdb0073a7d6fbc075 0000-0003-1319-4492 Simon Dymond Simon Dymond true false 2026-05-08 PSYS BackgroundRelapse is common among individuals undergoing treatment for gambling disorder (GD). Understanding the biological, psychological, and social (biopsychosocial (BPS)) factors that influence relapse in GD is important to guide clinical practice and improve treatment efficacy. However, evidence synthesis in this area is warranted to provide clarity and cohesion to the literature.MethodA systematic review of empirical research (2015–2026) was conducted. Included studies focused on factors that either predicted relapse in GD, or those that offered protection against relapse. Findings were synthesized according to the BPS model (PROSPERO ID: CRD42024521445).ResultsTwenty-six studies were included in the review. Overall, studies lacked heterogeneity, with most conducted in Spain (n = 19) and deriving from the same participant groups (n = 14). Biological factors such as younger age were associated with higher rates of GD relapse. Psychological predictors encompassed alcohol/substance use, personality traits (higher harm avoidance and lower self-directedness), cognitive factors (cognitive distortions, low cognitive flexibility, impulsivity), and poor psychopathological state. Social factors such as marital status (being single, divorced, or separated), lower education levels, involvement in crime, and exposure to gambling advertising also contributed to relapse risk. Relatedly, familial support, engaging in meaningful activities, and attendance at self-help meetings were protective against relapse.ConclusionsOverall, a broad range of BPS factors influence GD relapse. Despite the lack of heterogeneity in the included studies, these findings may contribute to better therapeutic understanding and practice. Expanding this research area is crucial for improving long-term recovery outcomes in GD. Journal Article Addiction Research & Theory 0 1 25 Informa UK Limited 1606-6359 1476-7392 Gambling disorder; pathological gambling; relapse; risk factors; protective factors; biopsychosocial model 7 5 2026 2026-05-07 10.1080/16066359.2026.2665613 COLLEGE NANME Psychology School COLLEGE CODE PSYS Swansea University Another institution paid the OA fee 2026-06-08T12:39:00.5074189 2026-05-08T09:26:15.1252266 Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences School of Psychology Jamie Torrance 0000-0001-5001-4126 1 Martyn Quigley 0000-0003-4342-1369 2 Conor Heath 3 Alecia Cousins 0000-0001-8591-2508 4 Glen Dighton 0000-0002-9283-5114 5 Simon Wright 6 Simon Dymond 0000-0003-1319-4492 7 Philip Newall 8 71867__36879__94bf933e8dea4020ad3504402839dffd.pdf 71867.VoR.pdf 2026-06-08T12:36:02.4332110 Output 1968259 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2026 The Author(s). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title	Relapse in disordered gambling: a systematic review from a biopsychosocial perspective
spellingShingle	Relapse in disordered gambling: a systematic review from a biopsychosocial perspective Jamie Torrance Martyn Quigley Conor Heath Alecia Cousins Glen Dighton Simon Wright Simon Dymond
title_short	Relapse in disordered gambling: a systematic review from a biopsychosocial perspective
title_full	Relapse in disordered gambling: a systematic review from a biopsychosocial perspective
title_fullStr	Relapse in disordered gambling: a systematic review from a biopsychosocial perspective
title_full_unstemmed	Relapse in disordered gambling: a systematic review from a biopsychosocial perspective
title_sort	Relapse in disordered gambling: a systematic review from a biopsychosocial perspective
author_id_str_mv	de868c4f56d8f5fbecbd686fdbb7b4b5 45ba0b00b12b2a4cd533dcd42f0121d9 6eeecd35963de043215912c7e5a6df8a d6a58b5cb0cef9e120b0f9d65a9aa015 2a413b069254b5edfb6509b4c3b41ad7 070567bb5ce34cc7f4fa4a15fe09b404 8ed0024546f2588fdb0073a7d6fbc075
author_id_fullname_str_mv	de868c4f56d8f5fbecbd686fdbb7b4b5_*_Jamie Torrance 45ba0b00b12b2a4cd533dcd42f0121d9__Martyn Quigley 6eeecd35963de043215912c7e5a6df8a__Conor Heath d6a58b5cb0cef9e120b0f9d65a9aa015__Alecia Cousins 2a413b069254b5edfb6509b4c3b41ad7__Glen Dighton 070567bb5ce34cc7f4fa4a15fe09b404__Simon Wright 8ed0024546f2588fdb0073a7d6fbc075_**_Simon Dymond
author	Jamie Torrance Martyn Quigley Conor Heath Alecia Cousins Glen Dighton Simon Wright Simon Dymond
author2	Jamie Torrance Martyn Quigley Conor Heath Alecia Cousins Glen Dighton Simon Wright Simon Dymond Philip Newall
format	Journal article
container_title	Addiction Research & Theory
container_volume	0
container_start_page	1
publishDate	2026
institution	Swansea University
issn	1606-6359 1476-7392
doi_str_mv	10.1080/16066359.2026.2665613
publisher	Informa UK Limited
college_str	Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
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hierarchy_top_id	facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_top_title	Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id	facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_parent_title	Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
department_str	School of Psychology{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Psychology
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description	BackgroundRelapse is common among individuals undergoing treatment for gambling disorder (GD). Understanding the biological, psychological, and social (biopsychosocial (BPS)) factors that influence relapse in GD is important to guide clinical practice and improve treatment efficacy. However, evidence synthesis in this area is warranted to provide clarity and cohesion to the literature.MethodA systematic review of empirical research (2015–2026) was conducted. Included studies focused on factors that either predicted relapse in GD, or those that offered protection against relapse. Findings were synthesized according to the BPS model (PROSPERO ID: CRD42024521445).ResultsTwenty-six studies were included in the review. Overall, studies lacked heterogeneity, with most conducted in Spain (n = 19) and deriving from the same participant groups (n = 14). Biological factors such as younger age were associated with higher rates of GD relapse. Psychological predictors encompassed alcohol/substance use, personality traits (higher harm avoidance and lower self-directedness), cognitive factors (cognitive distortions, low cognitive flexibility, impulsivity), and poor psychopathological state. Social factors such as marital status (being single, divorced, or separated), lower education levels, involvement in crime, and exposure to gambling advertising also contributed to relapse risk. Relatedly, familial support, engaging in meaningful activities, and attendance at self-help meetings were protective against relapse.ConclusionsOverall, a broad range of BPS factors influence GD relapse. Despite the lack of heterogeneity in the included studies, these findings may contribute to better therapeutic understanding and practice. Expanding this research area is crucial for improving long-term recovery outcomes in GD.
published_date	2026-05-07T09:54:34Z
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Relapse in disordered gambling: a systematic review from a biopsychosocial perspective

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