Gambling participation varies across genders and throughout the life course, yet little research has examined how stressful life events and masculinity-related factors influence gambling behaviour across different stages of adulthood among men. Using Wave 4 data from Ten to Men: The Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health (n = 5,434), this study investigates age-stratified associations between stressful life events, self-perceived masculinity, masculinity strain and gambling frequency among Australian men. Negative binomial regression analysis reveals that masculinity and masculinity strain predict higher gambling frequency only among young men, highlighting the salience of masculine identity during early adulthood. Stressful life events also showed age-specific effects: job loss is associated with lower frequency of gambling among young men, while bereavement of loved ones is linked to higher gambling among middle-aged men. No stressful life events correlated with gambling among older men. Across all age groups, higher income was associated with more frequent gambling, while possessing a university degree was associated with less frequent gambling among those aged 30 and above only. These findings accentuate the importance of a life course perspective for understanding gambling participation and informing age-tailored interventions.
Zahnow et al. (Mon,) studied this question.