A Randomized Controlled Trial for Gambling Disorder and PTSD: Seeking Safety and CBT
AbstractStudies show a compelling association between gambling disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. However, there have been no randomized controlled trials for this co-morbidity. The aim of the current study was to compare two evidence-based models, one that addresses both disorders and another that addresses gambling alone. Sixty-five men and women with gambling disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder were randomized to one of two treatment conditions delivered via telehealth, Seeking Safety (integrated treatment for gambling and posttraumatic stress disorder) or Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Pathological Ga...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - June 12, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
The Efficacy of Psychosocial Interventions in Minimising the Harm Caused to Affected Others of Problem Gambling: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
This study was conducted as outlined in the research protocol PROSPERO (CRD42021239138). Database searches were conducted in CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Social Science Database, CINHAL Complete, Academic Search Ultimate and PsycINFO. Randomised controlled trials of psychosocial interventions that aimed to minimise the harm caused to affected others of problem gambling written in English were eligible for inclusion. Risk of bias for included studies was assessed using the Cochrane ROB 2.0 tool. The identified interventions focused on two approaches to supporting affected others: interventions involving both the problem gambler and af...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - June 9, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
Contrasting the Effects of Alcohol and Alcohol Expectancies on Gambling Behavior
AbstractThe influence of alcohol on risk-taking may be through both pharmacological action and individual expectancies. A recent meta-analysis highlighted the need for evidence about the precise role of alcohol expectations on individuals ’ gambling behavior while under the influence of alcohol and a need to understand what specific gambling behaviors are influenced. This laboratory study investigated the effects of alcohol consumption and alcohol expectancies on gambling behavior in a sample of young adult men. Thirty-nine partici pants were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions in which they consume...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - June 9, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
The Role of Social Support and Belonging in Predicting Recovery from Problem Gambling
AbstractResearch indicates a role for both social support and belonging in addiction recovery, however little is known about the role of these constructs in the recovery from problem gambling, and whether they relate to the effectiveness of mutual aid groups such as Gamblers Anonymous. The aim of this study was therefore to explore the relationship between social support and belonging, and to assess the role of demographics (including group membership of GA), social support and/or belongingness in predicting gambling addiction recovery in terms of gambling urges and quality of life. Using a cross sectional design, particip...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - June 7, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
Betting on the House: The Impact of Gambling on Homeownership in Australia
AbstractGambling is commonly associated with social and economic disadvantage. In this paper we examine the impact of gambling on homeownership, using Australian panel data. We find that gambling is associated with a lower probability of homeownership. Specifically, our endogeneity corrected estimates show that an increase in problem gambling is associated with between 1.6 and 1.8 percentage point decrease in the probability of owning a home depending on the model. Our result show that financial stress and social capital are channels through which gambling influences the probability of homeownership. (Source: Journal of Gambling Studies)
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - June 7, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
Lived Experience Performance to Reduce Stigma, Enhance Understanding of Gambling Harm and Change Attitudes and Behaviours of Professionals and Community Members
AbstractGamblers and their family members or friends (affected others) can experience stigma and shame due to gambling which can result in a reluctance to seek timely support. However, gamblers and affected others access intersecting health services and talk to friends or family, thereby providing opportunities for early intervention.Three sides of the coin is a group of storytellers with lived experience of gambling harm who use dramatic performance to share personal stories to enhance the understanding of gambling-related harm in allied professions and the broader community. They do this to encourage attitude and behavio...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - June 6, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
For Better and For Worse: Frequent Gamblers Use Dual Counterfactuals to Justify Continued Gambling
AbstractHow might frequent gamblers convince themselves to keep playing despite persistent losses or after a win that should be savored? The purpose of this research is to examine the unexplored question of how frequent gamblers ’ use counterfactual thinking to motivate their desire to continue gambling. Using a sample of n = 69 high and n = 69 low frequency gamblers in a field setting, we found that infrequent gamblers tended to consider how the perceived outcome of losing “could have been better” (i.e., upwa rd counterfactual thinking), and how a winning outcome “could have been worse” (i.e., downward c...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - June 5, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
Am I Winning or Losing? Probing the Appraisal of Partial Wins via Response Vigor
AbstractAttempts to obtain rewards are not always successful. Despite investing much time, effort, or money, sometimes individuals may not obtain any reward. Other times they may obtain some reward, but the obtained reward may be smaller than their initial investment, such as partial wins in gambling. It remains unclear how such ambiguous outcomes are appraised. To address this question, we systematically varied the payoffs for different outcomes in a computerized scratch card task across three experiments. To test outcome appraisal, we used response vigor as a novel proxy. In the scratch card task, participants turned thr...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - June 3, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
Research on Gambling in Young People: A Co-Occurrence Analysis
AbstractGambling as a risk factor in youth development, particularly its causes and consequences, has been the subject of a growing number of studies. However, the literature relating to young people has yet to be compiled in a systematic form. The present study adopts a descriptive bibliometric approach to map global research on gambling in young people using metadata from the Web of Science database. The results show that research on gambling in young people at a country level has increased in recent years, though some regions are underrepresented. Co-occurrence analysis revealed the frequent use of several terms. It is ...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - May 12, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
The Association between the Five-factor Model of Personality and Problem Gambling: a Meta-analysis
AbstractThis meta-analysis examined the associations between five-factor personality model traits and problem gambling. To be eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis, studies had to provide effect size data that quantified the magnitude of the association between all five personality traits and problem gambling. Studies also had to use psychometrically sound measures. The meta-analysis included 20 separate samples from 19 studies and 32,222 total participants. The results showed that problem gambling was significantly correlated with the five-factor model of personality. The strongest personality correlate of problem g...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - May 12, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
Social Presence and Social Facilitation in Gambling: Some Comments on Yokomitsu et al. (2022)
AbstractThis brief commentary adds to the recent study by paper by Yokomitsu, Kono and Takada (2022). Their study examined social presence in gambling by experimentally investigating the effects of the presence of other people on risky betting among high-risk gamblers. This commentary argues that the paper by Yokomitsu et al. provided a highly selective review on available studies and omitted many of the key studies in the area of social presence and social facilitation in which their findings could have been compared. The commentary also briefly outlines a number of studies that have I co-authored in this area over the pa...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - May 12, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
“To me, it was Just a Vice”. Stigma and Other Barriers to Gambling Treatment in Piedmont, Italy
AbstractIn Piedmont (northwestern Italy), as in the rest of the Western world, only a small percentage of the estimated problem gamblers (10 –20%) turn to a treatment service to overcome their addiction issues. The study sought to gain a better understanding of the cultural factors that stand in the way of seeking help, thorough qualitative in-depth individual interviews with gamblers both in and out of treatment. A total of 30 intervi ews were conducted in three different health districts, most via video-call. Data were then analyzed using an abductive approach. The findings appear to indicate that the processes of stig...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - May 11, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
Examining the Use of Offshore Online Gambling Sites in the United States via Routine Activities Theory: A SEM Analysis
AbstractDespite the recent proliferation of legal online gambling in the Unites States, offshore gambling sites still remain prevalent, causing various problems in the U.S. Although numerous law violations occur in this domain, prior research has reported limited information about offshore gambling, mostly focusing on offshore gamblers ’ characteristics and motivations. Using routine activities theory, this study attempted to understand environmental and theoretical factors that affect the use of offshore sites by focusing on offshore gambling-generating contexts that involve offshore sites and online casino reviews. Maj...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - May 7, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
Gambling Harm Experienced by Children Exposed to Parental Gambling: An Online Survey of Australians
AbstractAlthough child wellbeing is known to be negatively affected by gambling, relatively little is known about the specific harms experienced by children exposed to parental gambling problems. The current study aimed to better understand gambling harm directly attributed to regular parental gambling in key areas of child wellbeing: financial, psychological, interpersonal wellbeing and intergenerational transmission of problem gambling. Using data from a national survey of Australian adults exposed to parental gambling under the age of 18 (n = 211), the results show that parental gambling was related significant leve...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - May 7, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
Validation of a Spanish Adaptation of the Gambling Symptom Assessment Scale (G-SAS) in Persons with Recent History of Gambling
AbstractGambling is becoming increasingly frequent and problematic, especially due to the explosion of online alternatives. Evaluating the severity of gambling symptomatology is therefore more important than ever. However, innovations in the gambling field have generally focused on its treatment rather than its evaluation. The Gambling Symptom Assessment Scale (G-SAS) is a well-established measure of gambling-related symptomatology (e.g., gambling urges, gambling-related thoughts and behaviours, and interpersonal functioning). The aim of this study is to validate a Spanish adaptation of the G-SAS so that individual differe...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - April 29, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
