Pathological gamblers profiles according to impulsivity and emotional regulation

This study aims to examine relationship between age, gambling behaviour, dysfunctional psychological symptoms, and other comorbid addictive behaviours. Secondly, it aims to study the differences between the aforementioned variables according to gambler profiles based on impulsivity and emotional regulation. A sample of 95 participants conformed the clinical sample (93.5% men and 6.5% women). Results suggest that difficulties in emotion regulation and impulsivity are associated with gambling disorder, video game abuse, and dysfunctional psychological symptomatology. Likewise, two clusters have been observed, the first one is composed of participants with fewer difficulties in emotion regulation, less psychopathological severity, and greater impulsivity. The second cluster is composed of participants with greater difficulties in emotion regulation, as well as greater psychopathological and gambling severity. These results highlight the relevance of understanding different gambler profiles in order to design prevention and treatment strategies adapted to each person.

Examining the effects of online sports betting on the perceived economic wellbeing of student-athletes

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of online sports betting on the perceived economic wellbeing of student-athletes using the regression analysis with an interaction effect used to test the effect of demographic variables on the relationship between dependent and independent variables. Correlation analysis was used to test the relationship between independent variables. The findings reveal that there was a positive and significant association3 between gambling severity and economic wellbeing. The study revealed that students’ sports bet online with large amounts of money to get the feeling of excitement. Sports betting leads to overspending which can disrupt home life to such an extent that it has some social effects such as the break-up of families. Sometimes due to sports betting the only deceptive course of action that seems to remain too often may lead the bettor to commit suicide.

Investigating the effects of online sports betting on the perceived social wellbeing of student athletes

This study investigates the effects of online sports betting on the perceived social wellbeing of student-athletes using a cross-sectional survey methodology with a sample of 38 universities. Findings of the study demonstrate that (i) there was a positive and significant association between gambling severity and social wellbeing, (ii) gambling severity and social wellbeing of students are positively and significantly related, (iii) demographic factors have a significant interaction effect on gambling severity and social wellbeing relationship. This paper also exhibited that gamblers were disappointed after online sports betting efforts and that fatigue and sleep disturbances were common after a loss or victory on online sports betting. Problem gamblers should be introduced to treatment or rehabilitation programmes that will help them to overcome their addiction to online sports betting.

Alcohol Misuse in a Treatment-Seeking Sample of Pathological Gamblers

We aimed to estimate the prevalence of alcohol misuse and examine its relationship with gambling severity and psychological distress in a UK treatment-seeking sample of pathological gamblers. Approximately one in four patients (27.1%) scored X 8 on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) screening tool indicating alcohol misuse, and one in four (28.1%) reported abstinence. There was no evidence of an association between alcohol misuse and gambling severity or psychological distress level. Compared to the UK general population a significantly higher proportion demonstrated probable alcohol dependence (1.2% vs. 6.3%, p < 0.001).

The Ordering of Gambling Severity and Harm Scales: A Cautionary Tale

Question-order effects are known to occur in surveys, particularly those that measure subjective experiences. The presence of context effects will impact the comparability of results if questions have not been presented in a consistent manner. In this study, we examined the influence of question order on how people responded to two gambling scales in the Australian Capital Territory Gambling Prevalence Survey: The Problem Gambling Severity Index and the Short Gambling Harm Screen. The application of these scales in gambling surveys is continuing to grow, the results being compared across time and between jurisdictions, countries, and populations. Here we outline a survey experiment that randomized the question ordering of these two scales. The results show that question-order effects are present for these scales, demonstrating that results from them may not be comparable across jurisdictions if the scales have not been presented consistently across surveys. These findings highlight the importance of testing for the presence of question-order effects, particularly for those scales that measure subjective experiences, and correcting for such effects where they exist by randomizing scale order.

An Exploratory Study of the Relationship Between Financial Well-Being and Changes in Reported Gambling Behaviour During the COVID-19 Shutdown in Australia

A change in someone’s financial situation, such as a windfall gain or increased financial stress, can affect the way that they gamble. The aim of this paper was to explore the relationship between financial well-being and changes in gambling behaviour during the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) shutdown. Australian past-year gamblers (N = 764; 85% male) completed an online cross-sectional survey in May 2020. Participants retrospectively reported monthly gambling participation before and after the COVID-19 shutdown, as well as their financial well-being, experience of COVID-related financial hardship, problem gambling severity, and psychological distress. Financial well-being showed strong negative associations with problem gambling and psychological distress. Neither financial well-being nor the interaction between financial well-being and problem gambling severity showed consistent evidence for predicting changes in gambling participation during the shutdown in this sample. This study provides preliminary evidence that self-reported financial well-being has a strong negative association with gambling problems but is not related to gambling participation. Future studies should link objective measures of financial well-being from bank transaction data with survey measures of problem gambling severity and experience of gambling-related harm.

Temporal Measurement Invariance of the Financially Focused Self-Concept Construct

Persons maintaining a financially focused self-concept view financial success as a core aspect of their respective self-concepts. We examined whether measurement properties of the financially focused self-concept scale (FFS) are invariant over time. A sample of predominantly older community members who gamble (N = 147) completed the 4-item FFS and Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) twice, approximately four weeks apart. FFS had strong temporal measurement invariance and moderate-to-high temporal stability. FFS and PGSI were also positively associated within and across waves. These findings indicate that people who score higher in financial focus report more gambling problems concurrently and over time.

Population Screening of Gambling Behavior: Playing to Escape From Problems May Be a Key Characteristic of At-Risk Players

The increase in gambling availability and the inclusion of gambling disorder as an addiction in DSM-5 highlight the importance of brief screening measures aiming to identify at-risk gamblers. The current study, using a brief telephone survey, assessed demographic characteristics and gambling behaviors in 2,118 adults. Questions were developed based on DSM-5 criteria for Gambling Disorder and common assessment tools. A 7% prevalence of as at-risk gamblers was identified. Male gender, low monthly income, high frequency of gambling behavior, large amounts of money spent, and gambling to escape from everyday problems or for amusement, specifically for men, were found to be the characteristics that can help in the early identification of at-risk gamblers. Gambling for financial gain and as a way to socialize, age, and employment status were not significant predictors of gambling severity. This study shows that the above characteristics can be assessed easily through phone screening of large populations, aiding in prevention practices to reduce the problematic use of gambling activities.