Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the moderated mediating effect of attentional bias through negative urgency on the relationship between perceived stress and gambling severity. A total of 73 adult male gamblers participated by completing several questionnaires and the Posner Task to assess their attentional bias toward gambling-related stimuli. The questionnaires included the Perceived Stress Scale, the Canadian Problem Gambling Index, and the Impulsive Behavior Scale (UPPS-P). The findings revealed several key points: First, bootstrapping results demonstrated that negative urgency mediates the relationship between perceived stress and gambling severity. Second, hierarchical regression and slope analyses indicated that attentional bias toward gambling cues moderates the relationship between negative urgency and gambling severity. Finally, attentional bias toward gambling cues—particularly 100ms attentional facilitation—also moderated the indirect relationship from perceived stress to gambling severity through negative urgency. The study concludes with a discussion of implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research.