A qualitative investigation of the retrospective lived experiences and emotional trajectories of Australian gamblers

PURPOSE: The current study sought to understand and explore how gamblers retrospectively characterise the shifts in their emotional valence across a gambling session, and how they interpret changes in their emotional arousal as a gambling session unfolds. METHODS: A total of 20 Australian gamblers, aged between 20 and 63 years (Mage = 34.9, SDage = 10.23), participated in retrospective semi-structured interviews. Participants were asked to reconstruct and narrate the emotional shifts experienced across gambling sessions and elucidate how they interpreted and understood the changes in their emotions as a gambling session unfolded. Data was analysed via reflexive thematic analysis using an interpretivist epistemological framework. RESULTS: Five key themes were constructed from the data: (1) Affective Recovery: Feelings of Pride and Competence Through Mastery; (2) Affective Shift: Isolation to Feelings of Belonging; (3) Navigating Experiences of Negative Valence; (4) Anticipatory Excitement to In-Game Arousal; and (5) Escalating Affective Intensity and Emotional Urgency. CONCLUSION: This study challenges traditional paradigms by demonstrating that both positive and negative emotions act as highly fluid drivers during and after a gambling session. These insights may prompt further research into investigating emotional mechanisms that drive and maintain an individual's gambling.