{
  "abstract": "Background: China operates the world’s largest lottery market, yet the psychological mechanisms linking individual dispositions to problem lottery gambling remain insufficiently understood, particularly among mainland Chinese samples. Financially focused self-concept—the tendency to base self-worth on financial success—has been linked to gambling problems. However, the pathways linking it to problem lottery gambling have received little empirical attention. This study aimed to investigate the association between financially focused self-concept and problem lottery gambling among Chinese lottery gamblers, and the mediating roles of gambling-related luck beliefs and lottery gambling passion within this association.\n\nMethods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Chinese lottery gamblers recruited from land-based retail outlets. A total of 879 participants completed measures of financially focused self-concept, gambling-related luck beliefs, lottery gambling passion, and problem lottery gambling. Structural equation modelling and bias-corrected bootstrapping with 5,000 resamples were used to test the proposed mediation model.\n\nResults: Correlation analyses showed that financially focused self-concept was positively correlated with gambling-related luck beliefs, obsessive passion, harmonious passion, and problem lottery gambling ( p < 0.001). Financially focused self-concept showed a nonsignificant positive association with problem lottery gambling after accounting for the mediating variables ( β = 0.03, p = 0.40). The specific indirect associations through gambling-related luck beliefs ( β = 0.034, 95% CI [0.009, 0.061]), obsessive passion ( β = 0.065, 95% CI [0.036, 0.097]), and harmonious passion ( β = −0.010, 95% CI [−0.021, −0.001]) were all significant. The serial indirect associations via gambling-related luck beliefs and obsessive passion ( β = 0.034, 95% CI [0.018, 0.054]) and via gambling-related luck beliefs and harmonious passion ( β = −0.010, 95% CI [−0.019, −0.004]) were also significant.\n\nConclusion: Financially focused self-concept is associated with problem lottery gambling through gambling-related luck beliefs, obsessive passion, and harmonious passion. The findings are consistent with the Pathways Model and its recent extension. They also highlight the importance of addressing luck beliefs and internalisation processes in prevention efforts targeting financially focused lottery consumers.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Key Laboratory of Competitive Sport Psychological and Physiological Regulation, School of Education and Psychology, Tianjin University of Sport",
    "School of Physical Education, Huzhou Normal University",
    "College of Physical Education, School of Sports and Health, Shaanxi Xueqian Normal University",
    "Department of Physical Education & Sport , Central China Normal University"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yue Hu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Lian Liu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Caimei Bai"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Zheng Gan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xiaolong Liu"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dtk5ca8bwt0wf.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1978508",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13713455",
  "id": "dtk5ca8bwt0wf",
  "issns": [
    "1664-0640"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1978508/full",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Original Research"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3203|Gambling Behavior and Treatments"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221783520",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1978508/pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13713455",
  "pmid": "42952786",
  "published": "2026-10-14",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dtk5ca8bwt0wf.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:18Z",
      "native_id": "10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1978508",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1978508/full"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T00:20:41Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42952786",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42952786"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T12:24:00Z",
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      "url": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1978508"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:3203|Gambling Behavior and Treatments",
      "subfield": "psychiatry"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Financially focused self-concept and problem lottery gambling: the chain mediating role of gambling-related luck beliefs and lottery gambling passion",
  "title_text": "Financially focused self-concept and problem lottery gambling: the chain mediating role of gambling-related luck beliefs and lottery gambling passion",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-01T12:21:07Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dtk5ca8bwt0wf",
  "venue": "Frontiers in Psychiatry",
  "versions": []
}