ChapterPDF Available

Gambling among university undergraduate students: An investigation of gambler subtypes varying in affective motivations for gambling

Authors:

Abstract

The field of gambling research has advanced rapidly in recent years with the sophistication of the research mirroring the complexity of this public health concern. This is an exciting time for gambling research. Psychology, genetics, neurobiology, and treatment have joined forces to address not only gambling but also the universal theme of what gambling represents: conflicting motivations that drive behavior. This new book gathers important recent research in the field.
A preview of the PDF is not available
... Motivations for gambling in the third cluster appear to pertain little to emotional regulation; this group corresponds most closely to Blaszczynski and Nower's (2002) 'behaviourally conditioned' subgroup. Stuart, Stewart, Wall and Katz (2008) aimed to extend this motivation-based subtyping scheme to 180 undergraduate gamblers. Participants completed the IGS, and again the same three clusters emerged: Low emotion regulation gamblers (45% of the sample), ENH gamblers (42%) and COP gamblers (13%). ...
... In both of the above-mentioned studies Stuart et al., 2008), gambling motives were assessed using the IGS (Littman-Sharp et al., 2009) which assesses motives indirectly. More specifically, gambling motives are inferred on the basis of responses regarding contexts in which gambling takes place. ...
... For instance, empirical support from previous investigations using questionnaire based approaches (e.g. Stuart et al., 2008) provides strong evidence for the inclusion of COP, ENH and SOC in the discussion of gambling motives. In addition, the results of our current investigation in many ways also support the predictive validity of Cooper et al.'s model. ...
Article
In the present study, self-generated responses to a question regarding reasons for gambling from two epidemiological surveys were combined and placed into another earlier motivational model for alcohol use, adapted for gambling. Of the 3601 reasons, 954 could be categorised into the model's categories: (a) coping motives (internal, negative reinforcement); (b) enhancement motives (internal, positive reinforcement); and (c) social motives (external, positive reinforcement). Results indicate that coping gamblers experienced greater gambling severity and psychopathology, enhancement gamblers were most likely to gamble while intoxicated and social gamblers were more likely to choose socially-related gambling. An examination of remaining motives suggests additional categories may be warranted – specifically financial and charitable reasons. These findings offer some support for the model; however, it may need to be expanded to account for other motives. The study highlights the advantages and limitations of using self-generated reasons to study gambling motivation.
... On the latter, participants self-reported a number of different lifestyle behaviours, including their gambling behaviour over the past 30 days. Those identified as 'regular gamblers' based on the screening were invited to take part in a larger laboratorybased study (see Stuart et al. 2008). The current questionnaire development study is one component of this larger study. ...
... Responses are summed to calculate ten subscale scores. The IGS-63 has demonstrated good internal consistency, with subscale alphas ranging from .84 to .92 (Stuart et al. 2008). The IGS-63 has also demonstrated good external validity, where correlations with the DSM-IV (American ...
Article
Full-text available
The Inventory of Gambling Situations (IGS-63; Turner and Littman-Sharp, Inventory of gambling situations users guide, 2006) is a 63-item measure of high-risk gambling situations. It assesses gambling across 10 situational subscales that load onto two higher-order factors: negative and positive situations (Stewart et al. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 22:257-268, 2008). While the IGS-63 has excellent psychometric properties (Littman-Sharp et al., The Inventory of Gambling Situations: Reliability, factor structure, and validity (IGS Technical Manual), in press) its length may preclude its use in time-limited contexts. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a 10-item short-form of the IGS (IGS-10). Each IGS-10 item reflects one of the ten subscale categories from the IGS-63, with two items from the original subscales included as examples for each IGS-10 item. The IGS-10 was administered to 180 undergraduate gamblers along with the IGS-63 and the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI; Ferris and Wynne, Canadian Problem Gambling Index: Final report, 2001). IGS-10 items showed convergent validity with the corresponding IGS-63 subscales (r's = .60-.73). Principal components analysis of the IGS-10 revealed two factors: negative (α = .84) and positive (α = .85). PGSI scores correlated significantly with all IGS-10 items (r's = .33-.58) and with both IGS-10 higher-order subscales (r's = .66 [negative] and .49 [positive]), supporting the criterion validity of the IGS-10. Since minimal information is lost when using the IGS-10, the short form may prove particularly useful when respondent burden prevents using the full IGS-63.
... Past studies mainly subtyped gambling and problem gambling based on: (1) personality traits (Álvarez-Moya et al., 2010;Moon et al., 2016;Studer et al., 2016;Suomi et al., 2014); (2) gambling motives Stuart et al., 2008), (3) comorbid states (Moon et al., 2016;Studer et al., 2016;Suomi et al., 2014); (4) demographic factors and symptom severity (Chamberlain et al., 2017;Lee et al., 2008;Li et al., 2015;Turner et al., 2006), (5) type and frequency of gambling habits (Challet-Bouju et al., 2015;Heiskanen and Toikka, 2016), or (6) gambling cognitions (Yakovenko et al., 2016). With respect to the Pathways Model, past studies have supported the existence of an emotionally vulnerable type, by showing that a subgroup of problem gamblers is characterized by emotional instability and comorbid emotional disorders (Álvarez-Moya et al., 2010;Moon et al., 2016;Suomi et al., 2014;Turner et al., 2008). ...
Article
Full-text available
Background and aims: The Pathways Model (Blaszczynski & Nower, 2002) posits that problem gambling is a heterogeneous disorder with distinct subgroups (behaviorally conditioned gamblers, emotionally vulnerable gamblers, and antisocial-impulsivist gamblers). Impulsivity traits and gambling-related cognitions are recognized as two key psychological factors in the onset and maintenance of problem gambling. To date, these constructs have been explored separately, and their joint role in determining problem gambling subtypes has received little attention. The goal of our study was to identify subgroups of gamblers based on impulsivity traits and gambling-related cognitions, and to determine whether this approach is consistent with the Pathways model. Methods: Gamblers from the community (N = 709) and treatment-seeking pathological gamblers (N = 122) completed questionnaires measuring gambling habits, disordered gambling symptoms, gambling-related cognitions, and impulsivity traits. Results: Cluster analyses revealed that three clusters globally aligned with the pathways proposed by Blaszczynski & Nower (2002). Two other clusters emerged: (1) impulsive gamblers without cognitive-related cognitions; and (2) gamblers without impulsivity or gambling-related cognitions. Gamblers with both heightened impulsive traits and gambling-related cognitions had more severe problem gambling symptoms. Conclusion: We successfully identified, based on an a priori theoretical framework, different subtypes of gamblers that varied in terms of problem gambling symptoms and clinical status. The diversity of the cluster profiles supports the development of personalized prevention strategies and psychological interventions.
... A key-press version of the AAT was used to assess online gambling approach bias [37,44,45]. Participants were instructed to approach ('pull') or avoid ('push') gambling- 2 For the purposes of this study, playing lottery tickets was not included as gambling activity because lottery play does not appear to be as addictive as other forms of gambling [39] and appeals more to social than to pathological gamblers [40,41]. Table 1 Characteristics of moderate-to high-risk and non-problem gamblers at baseline and 6-month follow-up. ...
Article
Background and aims: Similar to substance addictions, reward-related cognitive motivational processes, such as selective attention and positive memory biases, have been found in disordered gambling. Despite findings that individuals with substance use problems are biased to approach substance-related cues automatically, no study has yet focused on automatic approach tendencies for motivationally salient gambling cues in problem gamblers. We tested if moderate- to high-risk gamblers show a gambling approach bias and whether this bias was related prospectively to gambling behaviour and problems. Design: Cross-sectional assessment study evaluating the concurrent and longitudinal correlates of gambling approach bias in moderate- to high-risk gamblers compared with non-problem gamblers. Setting: Online study throughout the Netherlands. Participants: Twenty-six non-treatment-seeking moderate- to high-risk gamblers and 26 non-problem gamblers community-recruited via the internet. Measurements: Two online assessment sessions 6 months apart, including self-report measures of gambling problems and behaviour (frequency, duration and expenditure) and the gambling approach avoidance task, with stimuli tailored to individual gambling habits. Findings: Relative to non-problem gamblers, moderate- to high-risk gamblers revealed a stronger approach bias towards gambling-related stimuli than neutral stimuli (P = 0.03). Gambling approach bias was correlated positively with past-month gambling expenditure at baseline (P = 0.03) and with monthly frequency of gambling at follow-up (P = 0.02). In multiple hierarchical regressions, baseline gambling approach bias predicted monthly frequency positively (P = 0.03) and total duration of gambling episodes (P = 0.01) 6 months later, but not gambling problems or expenditure. Conclusions: In the Netherlands, relative to non-problem gamblers, moderate- to high-risk gamblers appear to have a stronger tendency to approach rather than to avoid gambling-related pictures compared with neutral ones. This gambling approach bias is associated concurrently with past-month gambling expenditure and duration of gambling and has been found to predict persistence in gambling behaviour over time.
... Results suggested that most college students gamble to win money, as a way to deal with boredom, and for social and enjoyment reasons. Additionally, Stewart and colleagues adapted the three-factor model for alcohol motives for gambling behavior , with results suggesting that gambling for enhancement and coping motives were more strongly associated with gambling problems than were social motives (Stuart et al. 2008). Other recent research has also suggested that gambling for money and for charitable events were frequently endorsed reasons for gambling (McGrath et al. 2010). ...
Article
Full-text available
Gambling among young adults occurs at a higher rate than in the general population and is associated with a host of negative consequences. Self-determination theory (SDT) posits that individuals develop general motivational orientations which predict a range of behavioral outcomes. An autonomy orientation portrays a choiceful perspective facilitating personal growth, whereas a controlled orientation represents a chronic proclivity toward external pressures and a general lack of choice. Further, an impersonal orientation is characterized by alack of intention and feeling despondent and ineffective. Controlled orientation has previously been associated with more frequent and problematic gambling. This research was designed to examine gambling motives as mediators of associations between motivational orientations and gambling behaviors. Undergraduates (N = 252) who met 2+ criteria on the South Oaks Gambling Screen participated in a laboratory survey assessing their motivational orientations, gambling motives, and gambling behavior (quantity, frequency, and problems). Mediation analyses suggested that autonomy was negatively associated with gambling problems through lower levels of chasing and escape motives. Further, controlled orientation was associated with more problems through higher levels of chasing and interest motives. Finally, impersonal orientation was negatively associated with amount won through escape motives. Overall, results support exploring gambling behavior and motives using a SDT framework.
... Motives for gambling have also received some research attention Neighbors, Lostutter, Cronce et al., 2002). The three-factor model of alcohol motives has been adapted for gambling involvement Stewart, Zack, Collins, Klien, & Fragopoulos, 2008), demonstrating that enhancement and coping motives are more strongly related to gambling problems than social motives (Stuart, Stewart, Wall, & Katz, 2008). More re-cently, it has been suggested that two additional motives for gambling are frequent among adult community samples: monetary reasons such as to win money or to get rich, and charitable reasons such as to support good causes (McGrath, Stewart, Klein, & Barrett, 2010). ...
Article
Full-text available
The purpose of this research was to explore different aspects of the link between alcohol use and gambling among undergraduate university students (N = 121). Potential aspects of the link examined included level of involvement in each behavior, consequences, motives for involvement, and impaired control over involvement. Results confirmed that drinking and gambling among university students are associated, consistent with the expectations of a problem syndrome model. The strongest link was between general dimensions of problematic involvement for both behaviors. Students who drink to cope and have other indicators of alcohol problems are more likely to gamble to cope, gamble to win money, and have higher gambling involvement and gambling-related problems. However, the salience of drinking and gambling to cope in this relationship is an interesting finding that needs further exploration and extension to other problem behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.