Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and gambling are considered notable public health challenges, each linked to emotion dysregulation, impulsivity, and heightened mental health risks. Although examined separately, their co-occurrence may reflect overlapping vulnerabilities. This study examined the prevalence, correlates, and predictors of NSSI among people who gamble online and identified distinct behavioral subgroups using latent class analysis. A cross-sectional study was conducted among people with past-year online gambling ( N = 1047; 50% males; mean age = 39.60 years SD = 12.46). Measures included problem-gambling severity, NSSI, impulsivity, sleep difficulties, and psychological distress. Multinomial logistic regressions tested associations between gambling severity and NSSI, latent class analysis (LCA) identified NSSI subgroups. Hierarchical multinomial regressions assessed demographic, gambling-related, and psychological predictors of class membership. Lifetime NSSI was reported by 64% of participants, with higher odds among those with scores reflecting problem gambling. LCA identified three subgroups: low/no self-harming (61.6%), moderate/occasional self-harming (23.2%), and high/multi-method self-harming (15.2%), reflecting stepwise increases in frequency and method diversity. NSSI class membership was significantly associated with problem-gambling severity (χ 2 3 = 45.0, p < .001). Younger age, insomnia, impulsivity, and psychological distress predicted higher NSSI class membership, insomnia and distress emerging as the strongest independent predictors. NSSI is a prevalent and clinically significant correlate of online gambling, emerging even at lower levels of problem-gambling severity, underscoring the importance of integrating emotion regulation and distress-focused support into interventions targeting problem gambling. The study's findings deepen the understanding of psychological pathways linking gambling and self-injury among adults. • NSSI is common among people who gamble online and increases with gambling problem severity. • Latent class analysis revealed three NSSI subgroups with different risk levels. • Insomnia and distress independently predict NSSI beyond gambling and impulsivity. • Younger adults with gambling problems show greater NSSI engagement levels. • Screening for NSSI is advised at all gambling severity levels.
Losaberidze et al. (Sun,) studied this question.