Magali Dufour

Université du Québec à Montréal | UQAM · Department of Psychology

Devant l’important intérêt des jeunes gamers à s’investir dans le eSport (ES), de plus en plus de milieux scolaires introduisent du ES au sein de leur établissement. Considérant que leurs motivations et leur passion pour les jeux vidéo (JV) pourraient expliquer comment le ES s’inscrit dans leur vie, il apparait essentiel de mieux comprendre le prof...

While it is well recognized that gambling behaviours are shaped by the contexts in which they occur, less research has investigated the relationship between poker and substance use (i.e., alcohol and other drugs). The current study explores poker players’ perceptions of the relationship between substance use and gambling. This qualitative descripti...

Background: The present study compared adult usage patterns of online activities, the frequency rate of problematic internet use (PIU), and risk factors (including the psychopathology associated with PIU, i.e., distress and impulsivity) among adults in 15 countries from Europe, America, and Asia. Methods: A total of 5130 adults from Belgium, Fin...

Background Video gaming is a popular activity among young people. Time spent with gaming was found to be only moderately associated with gaming disorder. However, patterns of binge gaming (playing more than 5 h consecutively) were rarely considered in research on gaming. This study explores how binge gaming frequency is related with gaming disorder...

Objective: Assess the efficacy of integrative couple treatment for pathological gambling (ICT-PG) in comparison to treatment provided in an individual approach. Method: Eighty couples were assigned randomly to ICT-PG (n = 44, Mage = 42.2, SD [13.4], n male gamblers = 29) or individual treatment (n = 36, Mage = 39.9 SD [13.0], n male gamblers = 3...

Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent psychopathologies in Western adolescents and have been on the rise in recent years. Not only does anxiety disrupt the daily lives of the young people who suffer from it, it can also have harmful behavioral, psychological, social, and academic effects. Given this, there is a pressing need to implement u...

During adolescence, some youth develop anxiety disorders such as social anxiety disorder (SAD) or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). However, few studies have been conducted to understand the specific contribution of SAD and GAD to Problematic Internet Use (PIU). In order to adapt intervention strategies, a specific understanding of the contributi...

A common public health initiative in many jurisdictions is provision of advice to people to limit gambling to reduce the risk of gambling-related harm. The purpose of this study is to use consistent methodology with existing population-based prevalence surveys of gambling and related harms from different countries to identify quantitative limits fo...

Les eSportifs en milieu scolaire : Des joueurs comme les autres ? Introduction/Contexte : Le sport électronique (SE), se définit comme la pratique compétitive de jeux vidéo (JV), professionnelle ou amateure, coordonnée par différentes ligues. La popularité et l’ampleur de ce récent phénomène sont telles que le SE constitue un phénomène mondial. Au...

Consequences experienced by the partners of individuals with a gambling disorder are well documented. However, little is known about the deleterious effects experienced by other people than partners of gamblers. A better understanding of these consequences could help improve clinical practices. The goal of this paper is to compare the consequences...

Until now, there has been no evidence-based, specific advice for people who gamble who want to reduce their risk of experiencing gambling harms. This paper presents the results from the first large-scale, comprehensive, international project to develop lower-risk gambling guidelines. Specifically, we calculated relative risk estimates to determine...

Background Several studies conducted since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic have shown its harmful effects on young people’s mental health. In Québec and Canada, few studies have focussed on adolescents, and even fewer of these studies have examined this subject using a methodology that involved comparisons of data obtained before and during...

Background: A growing number of high schools are now offering eSport (ES) programs. Little is known on ES players and how they might differ from more traditional video game (VG) players. The aim of the present study is to explore the potential influence of ES pro- gram on youth in an academic context. Methods: 176 high students from a high school...

Gambling's impact on a couple's relationship is an essential element in the gambling disorder (GD). Gamblers tend to lie to their partner to conceal the extent of their gambling problems and debts, which can lead to a serious relational transgression for the couple. One promising avenue is a couple treatment focusing on forgiveness processes. The o...

This article examines the effect of gambling location on the frequency, expenditure, and time spent on cash game poker in relation to individual characteristics of gamblers. Data were drawn from a 2012 Québec epidemiological gambling survey. The quantitative analysis used multilevel methods to model the dual-level hierarchical design of gambling lo...

Forgiveness as a psychological process is a promising approach to integrate into couple counseling to help couples recover from serious relational transgressions (RT). And yet, there is still no consensus in the literature to better understand the processes couples must get through during couple therapy to mutually forgive each other. The aim of th...

Le sport électronique (SE), communément appelé eSports, consiste en la pratique compétitive de jeux vidéo (JV), coordonnée par différentes ligues ou tournois. Cette pratique émergente a connu un essor important dans les dernières années afin de devenir une activité prisée par les jeunes. Depuis 2018, afin d’amener leurs élèves à persévérer, des éco...

Background and Aims Few meta‐analyses have been conducted to pool the most constant risk factors for problem gambling. The present meta‐analysis summarizes effect sizes of the most frequently assessed problem gambling risk factors, ranks them according to effect size strength, and identifies any differences in effects across genders. Method A ra...

Background and aims Following the recognition of ‘internet gaming disorder’ (IGD) as a condition requiring further study by the DSM‐5, ‘gaming disorder’ (GD) was officially included as a diagnostic entity by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the eleventh revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD‐11). However, the proposed d...

There is limited research exploring the perceptions of people who gamble on the self-control strategies used to limit their gambling. This qualitative study examines self-control strategies used to limit money spent gambling, frequency of gambling, and time spent gambling. A total of 56 people who gamble (27 males and 29 females) participated in ni...

Internet gambling may increase rates of gambling harm. This current study aimed to assess Internet poker players’ views on various harm-reduction (HR) strategies. It also examined differences in these views according to the games played (poker only vs. poker plus othergambling activities), indebtedness, and problem gambling severity. Internet poker...

Poker players are at high risk of experiencing gambling problems. Despite the feminization of gambling, little is known about the problems associated with poker playing among women. This cross-sectional study aims to examine relationships between gambling problems and factors generally associated with gambling problems (gambling behaviours, substan...

Background Problematic Internet use (PIU) is an important emerging public health problem. Among youth, the link between PIU and other risky behaviors needs to be defined. The objective of this systematic review is to explore the association between Internet use and substance use (alcohol, cannabis) among youth. Methods Empirical studies meeting in...

There is little research on the control strategies used by the general public to self-manage gambling habits and avoid harmful consequences. The current study sought to identify the most common self-control strategies of people who gamble regularly, the characteristics of those who use them, and assess the effectiveness of limit-setting strategies...

Despite the popularity in poker-related activities in recent years, few studies have focused on the evolution of gambling habits of poker players over a long period of time. The aim of this study is to examine factors influencing trajectories of poker players. The results are based on data collected at a four-time measurement of a prospective cohor...

Online poker is considered more at-risk than land-based poker in terms of intense gambling behaviors and gambling problems. The development of many online gambling sites has raised public health concerns about the potential increase in online poker players. Longitudinal studies are useful to better understand the evolution of gambling behaviors; ho...

Objective Despite the risks associated with poker and its unique characteristics when compared with other forms of gambling, little knowledge exists of poker players’ perceptions of prevention strategies. The aim of this study was to explore poker players’ perceptions and understandings of existing problem gambling prevention strategies. Methods T...

This chapter summarises the report of the Working Group on Online Gambling, Québec, Canada. The method chosen to analyse the social impact of the development of online games and the measures to counter illegal gambling was 1) an extensive monitoring system to provide continuous and systematic data collection and 2) national and international consul...

For the last 20 years, poker has been one of the most popular forms of gambling for adults. Although various studies have demonstrated the specific characteristics of these players, few studies have focused on teenagers playing poker. However, a better understanding of this activity among this vulnerable group would help to develop more effective s...

La croissance d’Internet dans les dernières décennies a eu de nombreux avantages, mais présente aussi des risques, dont le développement d’une dépendance à Internet. Afin de prévenir les méfaits associés à l’utilisation intensive d’Internet, quelques programmes de prévention ont été développés en Asie et en Europe. Jusqu’à présent, les premières ét...

Background Problematic Internet use is an important emerging public health problem. Among youth, the link between problematic Internet use and other risky behaviors needs to be define. The National Institute on Drug Abuse was recently questioning if this new problem can explain the downward trend in substance use among young people. The objective o...

The 14-item Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) is one of the most frequently internationally adapted psychometric instruments developed to assess generalized problematic Internet use. Multiple adaptations of this instrument have led to versions in different languages (e.g., Arabic and French), and different numbers of items (e.g., from 5 to 16 it...

This poster details the opinion of 51 Quebec young adults on what should be done to prevent internet addiction.

This poster offers a comprehensive classification model for video games. Also, this poster offers a tool to assess a player’s experience of a game in clinical context. This 16-items questionnaire highlights the player’s motivation to engage in a game and can be use as an intervention tool as well

Studies suggest that youth who are exposed to their first gambling experience at an earlier age are at increased risk of developing problems. However, studies reporting age of onset of gambling exposure as a risk factor for gambling problems are cross-sectional by design and the relationship between both variables are sometimes inferred over extend...

How can adopting mixed methods enhance understanding ? The use of mixed methods requires examples of how this approach is applied so that related challenges can be identified. However, only a few studies on gambling have ventured to provide any examples and illustrated the integration process. Using the example of a sequential mixed-methods study o...

A railway accident which occurred in Lac-Megantic in Quebec, Canada, caused disruption for an entire community. This study examines the psychosocial difficulties in a group of exposed adolescents aged between 11 to 17, nine months after the tragedy. The analyses were conducted on a sample of 515 adolescents, attending high school, and living near t...

Objectives: This study highlights the clinical profile of adolescents having consulted with an addiction treatment center (ATC) in Québec for a problematic internet use (PIU) to develop knowledge about these specific clients and precisely target their needs relative to treatment. Method: The study was conducted with 80 adolescents between ages 1...

Poker playing is a concern because of the large amounts of money spent and the high prevalence of gambling problems. Few studies have taken an interest in poker players’ (PPs’) perspectives. The goal of this qualitative study was to describe PPs’ perceptions of the change in their poker playing and to compare their perception to the variation in th...

The prevalence of mobile phone use across the world has increased greatly over the past two decades. Problematic Mobile Phone Use (PMPU) has been studied in relation to public health and comprises various behaviours, including dangerous, prohibited, and dependent use. These types of problematic mobile phone behaviours are typically assessed with th...

The concept of passion is relevant to understanding gambling behaviours and gambling problems. Longitudinal studies are useful to better understand the absence and development of gambling problems; however, only one study has specifically considered poker players. Using a longitudinal design, this study aims to determine the influence, 1 year later...

Passion among gamblers has been studied for the last decade and a half. There are two forms of passion: obsessive passion (OP), which is controlling, and harmonious passion (HP), which leaves room for the gambler’s other activities. Cross-sectional studies associate OP with gambling problems, which is not the case for HP. The relevance of the conce...

La passion est étudiée depuis une quinzaine d’années chez les joueurs de jeu de hasard et d’argent. Elle comprend deux formes, soit la passion obsessive (PO) qui est contrôlante et la passion harmonieuse (PH) qui laisse de la place à d’autres activités du joueur. Les études transversales associent la PO aux problèmes de jeu, ce qui n’est pas le cas...

Investigating factors that influence a person’s ability to control gambling behaviour is important. The Dualistic Model of Passion, which includes both harmonious and obsessive passion, has proposed an original framework for studying these factors. However, the concept of passion as it pertains to the gambling experience remains relatively new and...

La passion est étudiée depuis une quinzaine d’années chez les joueurs de jeu de hasard et d’argent. Elle comprend deux formes, soit la passion obsessive (PO) qui est contrôlante et la passion harmonieuse (PH) qui laisse de la place à d’autres activités du joueur. Les études transversales associent la PO aux problèmes de jeu, ce qui n’est pas le cas...

Context: Couple treatment for pathological gambling is an innovative strategy. There are some results supporting its potential effectiveness, but little is known about the subjective experiences of the participants. Objective: The aim of this article is to document the experiences of gamblers and their partners participating in one of two treatment...

Online gambling has gained popularity in the last decade, leading to an important shift in how consumers engage in gambling and in the factors related to problem gambling and prevention. Indebtedness and loneliness have previously been associated with problem gambling. The current study aimed to characterize online gamblers in relation to indebtedn...

Digital technology advances have supported an expansion of gambling activities, which is notable via the advent of simulated gambling games. Simulated gambling reproduces ‘real’ gambling activities, which enables the users to gamble without investing money. According to research evidence, a certain number of adolescents are playing with these games...

The concept of Problematic Internet Use (PIU) continues to raise many questions. While some researchers are interested in all activities on the Internet, others focus on one or two forms of activities when it comes to PIU assessment. Before ruling out the importance of specific activities, it is necessary to assess the contribution of each activity...

L’adolescence est souvent le berceau de plusieurs conduites déviantes cooccurrentes. La consommation de substances psychoactives (SPA) et la délinquance figurent parmi ces conduites et entretiennent des liens multiples et parfois complexes. Cette étude vise à explorer le modèle drogue-délinquance économico-compulsif auprès des jeunes. Plus précisém...

Previous research has shown that poker players spend significant time, large amounts of money and have a high prevalence of gambling problems. While some studies have examined the association between gambling behaviours and passion, none have explored this association specifically among poker players. This study aims to examine the relationships be...

Poster presented at the Discovery meeting of the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC), Toronto (Canada).

Aims: To estimate the prevalence of cocaine binging and examine associated factors, to characterize binge episodes and to study the relationship between cocaine binging and HIV and HCV risk behaviors among street-based cocaine users. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in Montréal, Canada. Interviewer-administered questionnaire wer...

Abstract Cocaine use is highly prevalent and a major public health problem. While some studies have reported frequent comorbidity problems among cocaine users, few studies have included evaluation of gambling problems. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of gambling problems and compare those who were at-risk gamblers with non-problem gambl...

Background: There is growing evidence of intravenous administration of prescription opioids (POs) in several countries. Preparation of POs for injection may leave residues in containers and filters used by people who inject drugs and may lead to adverse health outcomes if they are injected. Methods: This exploratory study used cross-sectional da...

Objectives: There are presently no data available concerning Internet addiction (IA) problems among adolescents in Canada and the province of Quebec. The goal of this study is thus to document and compare the influence of gender on Internet use and addiction. Method: The study data were collected from a larger research project on gambling among...

Problem gambling can have profound consequences on a person’s life, consequences that range from financial, psychological to relational and that affect, in particular, couple relationships. Despite these widely documented relational consequences, most therapies for problem gambling favour an individual approach. Nonetheless, in the field of addicti...

Background and Objectives Despite being common among cocaine users, mental health problems and their relationship with HIV and hepatitis C high risk injection behaviors are poorly documented. This study was undertaken to examine the relationships between mood and anxiety disorders and the sharing of drug injection equipment among cocaine users who...

La consommation de substances psychoactives (SPA) et la participation à des jeux de hasard et d’argent (JHA) font partie des conduites à risque à l’adolescence. Certaines études montrent que le fait de jouer à des JHA et celui d’éprouver des problèmes de JHA sont associés aux problèmes de consommation de SPA chez les jeunes, mais elles documentent...

Background: The Internet Addiction Test (IAT) is the most widely used questionnaire to screen for problematic Internet use.Nevertheless, its factorial structure is still debated, which complicates comparisons among existing studies. Most previous studies were performed with students or community samples despite the probability of there being more p...

Près de 1% de la population québécoise adulte répond aux critères de joueurs pathologiques (JP). Outre les effets délétères du jeu pour le joueur lui-même, les membres de l’entourage de JP vivent de nombreuses conséquences négatives en lien avec les jeux de hasard et d’argent (JHA), et ce, dans plusieurs sphères de leur vie. Le partenaire amoureux...

À ce jour, il n’existe aucun consensus quant aux critères diagnostiques d’une dépendance à Internet (Hinic, 2011 ; Tonioni et al. , 2012 ; Weinstein et Lejoyeux, 2010). Pourtant, des personnes s’autodéclarent cyberdépendantes et réclament des soins dans les centres de réadaptation en dépendance (CRD) au Québec. Ces admissions ont amené l’Agence de...