Risk and protective factors in problem gambling: an examination of psychological resilience

Investigation of Gambling Behavior, Self-Confidence and Psychological Resilience Levels of University Students

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between gambling behavior, self-confidence, and psychological resilience levels among university students. Additionally, the study aims to investigate the relationship between gambling behavior and socio-demographic variables. This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted between April and June 2023. The research employed a questionnaire, the Brief Psychological Resilience Scale, the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), and the Self-Confidence Scale. The study was carried out online, reaching 229 students through Google Forms. According to the SOGS scores, 4.8% of the students are at risk of gambling addiction. Male students have statistically significantly higher SOGS scores than female students. The SOGS score is significantly higher in working students, smokers, and alcohol drinkers (p < 0.05). No statistically significant relationship was found between the students' SOGS scores and the self- confidence scale (p = 0.637) and the brief resilience scale (p = 0.675). It is thought that training should be given to risky groups in order to prevent gambling behavior. In addition, it is thought that supporting university students to be active in different arts and sports fields may have a positive effect on preventing and reducing addictions.

The Role of Self-Esteem and Self-Efficacy in Responsible Gambling

Responsible gambling (RG) refers to a set of protective strategies aiming at containing the negative consequences associated with gambling. To improve the effectiveness of RG, it is essential to understand factors influencing gamblers' adherence to RG. Past literatures on addictive behaviors have demonstrated that one's self-efficacy and self-esteem are associated with the adherence to protective behaviors of the specific addictive behaviors. The present study aims to test whether gamblers' self-esteem and RG self-efficacy can be applied to explain their adherence to protective gambling behaviors. Two hundred and thirty-six past-year gamblers were randomly selected to take part in a phone survey. Path analysis showed that both gamblers' RG self-efficacy and self-esteem were positively associated with gamblers' RG behaviors, while RG behaviors were negatively linked to the problem gambling tendency. The findings provided insight into potential promotion and intervention strategies based on self-esteem and self-efficacy and those strategies may be adopted in the primary prevention of gambling disorder.

A Comparative Profile of Online, Offline, and Mixed-Mode Problematic Gamblers' Gambling Involvement, Motives, and HEXACO Personality Traits

Few studies have compared gamblers who play in exclusively online (i.e., Internet-based), exclusively offline (i.e., land-based), and mixed-mode contexts. In studies that have compared these groups, mixed-mode gamblers have consistently exhibited the greatest susceptibility to problematic gambling. In order to expand the scope of previous research that has compared gamblers based on their preferred mode of play, and to improve understanding of mixed-mode gamblers' proneness to problematic gambling, a sample of gamblers who play in exclusively online, exclusively offline, and mixed-mode contexts were compared on indices of gambling involvement, motives, and personality traits. Results indicated that mixed-mode gamblers played a wider range of games, and reported higher problematic gambling severity scores, higher scores on enhancement and social gambling motive scales, and lower and higher honesty-humility and extraversion personality scores, respectively. Associations between gambling motives and personality traits are discussed in relation to the role that these characteristics might play in mixed-mode gamblers' increased risk of gambling-related harm.

Loot box purchasing and indebtedness: The role of psychosocial factors and problem gambling

Introduction

Loot boxes are increasingly common random-reward monetization mechanisms in digital games. They are popular among gamblers and pose various risks due to their gambling-like nature, but little is known about psychosocial vulnerabilities and financial consequences of purchasing them. This article examined psychosocial associations with self-reported increase in loot box purchasing and indebtedness among past-year gamblers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

Cross-sectional survey data were collected in April 2021 from Finnish, Swedish, and British past-year gamblers aged 18 to 75 (n = 2,022). Measures of loneliness, psychological resilience, and problem gambling were studied in relation to loot box purchasing and indebtedness. Structural equation modeling was used as an analytical technique.

Results

Loneliness was positively associated with self-reported increase in loot box purchasing. No evidence was found regarding the protective role of psychological resilience in loot box purchasing. Increased loot box purchasing was associated with problem gambling. Problem gambling mediated the relationship between loot box purchasing and indebtedness.

Conclusions

The findings bring valuable insight into the psychosocial vulnerabilities and financial consequences in loot box purchasing. Loot box purchasing can add to one's financial strain particularly among vulnerable individuals such as problem gamblers, making it crucial to regulate such monetization practices.

Psychosocial Perspective on Problem Gambling: The role of Social Relationships, Resilience, and COVID-19 Worry

The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified several psychosocial risks and problem behaviors among vulnerable individuals. Given that gambling has high addictive potential, it is important to consider the underlying mechanisms of problem gambling. This study examined psychosocial factors associated with pandemic-time problem gambling.Cross-sectional data were gathered via an online survey of 18-75-year-old Finnish, Swedish, and British respondents (n = 2,022) who reported having gambled at least occasionally during the pandemic. Measures included problem gambling, loneliness, COVID-19 worry, social support, and psychological resilience. Control variables included gender, age, and education. Structural equation modeling was used as an analytical technique.Loneliness was found to be associated with problem gambling. While COVID-19 worry was not directly associated with problem gambling, it predicted higher loneliness, which in turn was associated with problem gambling. Evidence was not found regarding the protective role of resilience or social support in problem gambling. However, social support was found to be associated with higher problem gambling severity. Male gender and younger age were associated with problem gambling.The results bring insight into underlying vulnerabilities regarding problem gambling during the pandemic. More focus should be placed on the quality and sources of social support, as well as on how psychosocial risk and protective factors might work differently among different populations of gamblers.

The relationship of gambling with sensation-seeking behavior and psychological resilience in university students

PURPOSE

We aimed to analyze the relationship of gambling with university students' sensation-seeking behavior and psychological resilience.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This cross-sectional and correlational research was performed with 650 students. Data collection tools were Personal Information Form, South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), Zuckerman Sensation-Seeking Scale (ZSSS), and Brief Resilience Scale (BRS).

FINDINGS

Of the students, 1.2% were probably pathological gamblers. There was a positive relationship between students' SOGS and ZSSS scores (p < 0.05). However, there was no relationship between students' SOGS and BRS scores (p > 0.05).

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Psychological support units and instructors take an active role in determining the gambling behaviors of students and related factors in advance, raising awareness of gambling, and preventing the negative effects of these behaviors in faculty campuses.

Adolescents’ academic achievement, mental health, and adverse behaviors: Understanding the role of resilience and adverse childhood experiences

This study examined the relationship between exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and health in adolescents with high or low levels of resilience. Data came from the 2020 Bangkok Behaviour Surveillance Survey (BBSS). Multivariate logistic regression analyses examined associations between ACEs and health conditions overall, and for adolescents with low versus high resilience on the Grotberg’s Resilience Scale. Overall, 54.9% of adolescents reported 0 ACEs. Compared to adolescents with no ACEs, it was found that those with ≥ 1 ACE were more likely to experience insomnia, sadness, suicide attempt, depression, and excess alcohol consumption. Those with a history of four or more ACEs had worse mental health, higher total undesirable behaviour, and lower academic achievement. When the sample was divided into high resilience (60.2%) and low resilience (39.8%), having at least 1 ACEs (vs. 0 ACEs) was associated with worse mental health and undesirable behaviour in adolescents with low resilience. History of ACEs can predict adverse health conditions and undesirable behaviour among adolescents, and the strongest correlation is among adolescents with low resilience. Future studies are needed to develop strategies and interventions to increase adolescent resilience, and test whether improvements in resilience reduce the adverse impact of ACEs on adolescent mental/behavioural health.

Gambling along the schizotypal spectrum: The associations between schizotypal personality, gambling-related cognitions, luck, and problem gambling

Objective

Schizotypal personality (schizotypy) is a cluster of traits in the general population, including alterations in belief formation that may underpin delusional thinking. The psychological processes described by schizotypy could also fuel cognitive distortions in the context of gambling. This study sought to characterize the relationships between schizotypy, gambling-related cognitive distortions, and levels of problem gambling.

Methods

Analyses were conducted on three groups, a student sample (n = 104) with minimal self-reported gambling involvement, a crowdsourced sample of regular gamblers (via MTurk; n = 277), and an additional crowdsourced sample with a range of gambling involvement (via MTurk; n = 144). Primary measures included the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire - Brief (SPQ-B), the Peters et al. Delusions Inventory (PDI-21), the Gambling Related Cognitions Scale (GRCS), and the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). Luck was measured with either the Belief in Good Luck Scale (BIGLS) or the Beliefs Around Luck Scale (BALS).

Results

Small-to-moderate associations were detected between the components of schizotypy, including delusion proneness, and the gambling-related variables. Schizotypy was associated with the general belief in luck and bad luck, but not beliefs in good luck. A series of partial correlations demonstrated that when the GRCS was controlled for, the relationship between schizotypy and problem gambling was attenuated.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that schizotypy is a small-to-moderate correlate of erroneous gambling beliefs and PG. These data help characterize clinical comorbidities between the schizotypal spectrum and problem gambling, and point to shared biases relating to belief formation and decision-making under chance.

Resilience in the Ranks: Trait Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Buffer the Deleterious Effects of Envy on Mental Health Symptoms among Public Safety Personnel

Public safety personnel (PSP) face frequent stressors that increase their risk of developing symptoms of depression and anxiety. In addition to being exposed to potentially traumatic events, PSP trainees may face a compounded risk of developing mental health symptoms, as their training environments are conducive to social comparisons and the resultant painful emotion of envy. Envy is associated with numerous negative health and occupational outcomes. Fortunately, there are several individual difference factors associated with increased emotional regulation, and such factors may offer resilience against the damaging mental health effects of envy. In this study, we examined the interplay between dispositional mindfulness, self-compassion, and dispositional envy in predicting job satisfaction, stress, experience of positive and negative emotions, subjective resilience, and symptoms of depression and anxiety in a sample of police trainees (n = 104). A substantial minority of trainees reported clinically significant symptoms of depression (n = 19:18.3%) and anxiety (n = 24:23.1%) in accordance with the cut-off scores on screening measures. Consistent with hypotheses, dispositional envy was associated with lower job satisfaction, greater stress, and greater anxiety and depression. Furthermore, envy was associated with higher negative emotions, lower positive emotions, and lower subjective resilience. Dispositional mindfulness and self-compassion were associated with greater job satisfaction, lower stress, and reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety. Moreover, mindfulness and self-compassion were both associated with lower negative emotions, higher positive emotions, and subjective resilience. The associations between envy and the relevant job and mental health outcomes were significantly diminished after controlling for mindfulness and self-compassion. This suggests that these protective traits may serve as transdiagnostic buffers to the effects of envy on mental health. The results of this study confirmed the damaging effects of envy and suggested the potential remediation of these effects through the cultivation of mindfulness and self-compassion.

The Gambling Habits of University Students in Aragon, Spain: A Cross-Sectional Study

Gambling has become a routine form of entertainment for many young people. The aim of this study was to describe the gambling behavior that university students are developing in Aragon, Spain, and to analyze whether these habits are more common among students of sports science, on the assumption that they are more likely to have a higher exposure to betting company marketing. A cross-sectional design was applied, with data collected on advertising exposure, gambling habits and experiences, and opinions on the impact of gambling and its regulation from 516 undergraduate students from the University of Zaragoza. The online survey included ad hoc questions and the “Pathological Gambling Short Questionnaire” to screen for potential gambling disorders. Almost half of the sample had bet money at least once in their life (48.1%), and 2.4% screened positive for consideration of a possible diagnosis of pathological gambling. Betting shops (44.2%) were the most common gambling option, and students of sports science showed a higher prevalence of pathological gambling and had greater tendencies to make bets. Gambling is perceived as a normal leisure activity by a significant part of university students. The development of transversal strategies is required to raise awareness towards the potential dangers of gambling.

The Relationship Between Gambling Problems and the Five-Factor Model of Personality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objectives: The aim of the present meta-analysis was to synthesize results from the association between problem gambling (PG) and dimensions of the five factor model of personality and to identify potential moderators (gambling diagnosis: yes/no, comorbidity: yes/no and trait assessment: four or fewer items vs. five items or more) of these associations in meta-regressions. Methods: Searches were conducted in six databases; Medline, Web of Science, PsychInfo, Google Scholar, OpenGrey, and Cochrane Library (conducted on February, 22, 2021). Included studies: (1) reported a relationship between PG and at least one of the personality traits in the five-factor model, (2) contained information of zero-order correlations or sufficient data for such calculations, and (3) were original articles published in any European language. Case-studies, qualitative studies, and reviews were excluded. All articles were independently screened by two authors. Final agreement was reached through discussion or by consulting a third author. Risk of bias of the included studies was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Data were synthesized using a random effects model. Results: In total 28 studies, comprising 20,587 participants, were included. The correlations between PG and the traits were as follows: Neuroticism: 0.273 (95% CI = 0.182, 0.358), conscientiousness -0.296 (95% CI = -0.400, -0.185), agreeableness -0.163 (95% CI = -0.223, -0.101), openness -0.219 (95% CI = -0.308, -0.127), and extroversion -0.083 (95% CI = -0.120, -0.046). For all meta-analyses the between study heterogeneity was significant. Presence of gambling diagnosis was the only moderator that significantly explained between-study variance showing a more negative correlation to extroversion when participants had a gambling diagnosis compared to when this was not the case. Discussion: The results indicated some publication bias. Correcting for this by a trim-and-fill procedure showed however that the findings were consistent. Clinicians and researchers should be aware of the associations between personality traits and PG. Previous studies have for example showed neuroticism to be related to treatment relapse, low scores on conscientiousness to predict treatment drop-out and agreeableness to reduce risk of treatment drop-out. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO (CRD42021237225).

Dispositional mindfulness is associated with heart rate reactivity and recovery in response to a lab stressor

Heightened perceived stress is consistently associated with symptoms of psychopathology. Perceived stress can be reliably linked with physiological responses, such as increased heart rate. Even though dispositional mindfulness is associated with lower self-reported stress, no studies to date have examined whether dispositional mindfulness can predict physiological responses to and recovery from stress. We recruited 142 student participants and administered a measure of dispositional mindfulness (Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-Short Form/FFMQ-SF) and a modified version of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Specifically, during the TSST, we instructed participants that they were about to deliver a presentation to a panel of judges, then informed them they no longer need to deliver this presentation, all while measuring their heart rate. We found that total FFMQ-SF and non-reactivity subscale scores were positively and significantly correlated with heart rate reactivity to the lab stressor. Further, we found that the FFMQ-SF facet of non-judgment was negatively and significantly correlated with the time it took for participants' heart rates to return to and stabilize at baseline. The results of this study elucidate potential mechanisms of mindfulness in stress. Specifically, mindfulness may not necessarily make people less reactive to stressors, but may operate through top-down processes to enhance recovery and resilience during stress.