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Pathological gambling and sensation seeking–How do gamblers playing games of chance in cafés differ from those who bet on horses at the racetrack?

The purpose of this study was to study the sensation seeking personality trait in two groups of French pathological gamblers: one group who play games available in cafés (n = 57) and one group who bet on horses at the racetrack (n = 42). Sensation seeking was measured with the Zuckermans Sensation Seeking Scale; intensity of gambling behavior with the South Oaks Gambling Screen and the DSM-IV criteria of pathological gambling. Pathological gamblers who bet at the racetracks had significantly higher scores on Sensation Seeking than those who play games available in cafés. These findings are consistent with the idea of identifying clinically distinct subgroups of gamblers essential in the treatment pathological gambling. One subtype is made of those who play “active” games who gamble for the arousal produced by the game. The second subtype would be one made up of those who play “passive” games who gamble to avoid unpleasant emotional states.

Jeux de hasard et d’argent sur Internet : quels risques ?

INTRODUCTION Actually, there are many different and varied new ways to take part in gambling activities such as gambling via the Internet, mobile phone and interactive television. Among these media, the rise in Internet gambling activity has been very rapid. Nevertheless, few empirical studies have been carried out on the psychosocial effects of Internet gambling. While there is no conclusive evidence that Internet gambling is more likely than other gambling media to cause problem gambling, there are a number of factors that make online activities like Internet gambling potentially seductive and/or addictive. Such factors include anonymity, convenience, escape, dissociation/immersion, accessibility, event frequency, interactivity, disinhibition, simulation, and asociability. It would also appear that virtual environments have the potential to provide short-term comfort, excitement and/or distraction. BACKGROUND The introduction of the Internet to gambling activities changes some of the fundamental situational and structural characteristics. The major change is that gambling activities are bought into the home and workplace environment. Thus, Internet gambling can become an in-house or work activity. One of the major concerns relating to those changes and the increase in gambling opportunities is the potential rise in the number of problem and pathological gamblers. Addictions always result from an interaction and interplay between many factors but in the case of gambling, it could be argued that technology and technological advance can themselves be an important contributory factor as we saw in examining the salient factors in Internet gambling. It is difficult to determine the prevalence of online (problem or not) gamblers, as it is obviously a figure that changes and has changed relatively quickly over the past decade. Nevertheless, the rate of Internet gambling is increasing and some recent studies using self-selected samples suggest, for example, that the prevalence of problem gambling among student Internet gamblers is relatively high for students who gamble on the Internet in general. LITERATURE FINDINGS Some recent studies have focused on the type of online games. For example, one specific form of online gambling online poker, is one of the fastest growing forms of online gambling. It appears that problem online poker players are more likely to swap genders when playing online, and play more frequently for longer periods of time. Thus, problem gamblers may be losing time but winning money. This result has a big implication for problem gambling criteria. Indeed, some data suggest that online poker may be producing a new type of problem gambler where the main negative consequence is loss of time (rather than loss of money). CONCLUSION All these findings underline the need for better Internet gambling legislation. Indeed, the potential for excessive gambling and the lack of safeguards for vulnerable populations (e.g. adolescents and problem gamblers) raise the need for developing social responsibility tools. Harm-minimisation strategies are fundamental to facilitate gambling in a responsible manner, that is, to promote gambling within a players means so they do not spent excessive time or money gambling, which cause the individual problems. Some research, but still few, examines the efficacy of responsible gambling strategies like pop-up messages.

The impact of alexithymia on pathological gamblers' decision making: a preliminary study of gamblers recruited in "sportsbook" casinos.

Objective:We investigated whether alexithymia is at the root of the decision-making deficit classically reported in pathological gamblers. Background:Alexithymia has been shown to be a recurrent personality trait of pathological gamblers and to impair the decision-making abilities of nonpathological gamblers, but no previous studies have investigated whether alexithymia significantly affects pathological gamblers’ decision making. Although investigations of pathological gamblers typically have studied those seeking treatment, most pathological gamblers do not seek treatment. Thus, to study people representative of the general population of pathological gamblers, we conducted our study in “sportsbook” casinos with a small sample of gamblers who were not seeking treatment. Methods:We recruited gamblers in sportsbooks and classified them based on their scores on the South Oaks Gambling Screen and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale: 3 groups of pathological gamblers (6 alexithymic, 8 possibly alexithymic, and 6 nonalexithymic) and 8 healthy controls. All of the participants completed an adaptation of the Iowa Gambling Task. Results:The alexithymic group chose less advantageously on the task than the other groups. The severity of the deficit in decision-making abilities was related to the severity of alexithymia, even when we controlled for the effects of anxiety and depression. Conclusions:Our findings provide preliminary evidence that alexithymia might be a critical personality trait underlying pathological gamblers’ decision-making deficits.

Relationships between parental attitudes, family functioning and Internet gaming disorder in adolescents attending school

While recent data suggest a high prevalence of adolescent with Internet gaming disorder, little is known about interpersonal factors that contributes or protect to this disorder. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the relationships between parental attitudes, adolescent perception of family functioning and Internet gaming disorder (IGD) and explore gender differences. From a sample of 434 adolescents attending school (n =434; age 13.2 years), 383 non-problematic gamers (NPG, 196 males; 187 females) were compared with 37 problematic gamers (PG, 29 males; 8 females). Family functioning was assessed with the Family Relationship Index and parental attitudes with a questionnaire measuring rules, access to video games, monitoring and banning of video games. NPG have a better family cohesion while PG have more family conflict and a poorer family relationship. While rules about gaming use are important in males, for females, banning is associated with IGD. For both sex, parental monitoring, conflicts and family relationship are associated with IGD. These findings highlight the strong influence of parental attitudes and family functioning on the occurrence of IGD in adolescents and their gender specificities. Thus, prevention programs need to take into account the importance of parents, parenting and gender specificities.

Sensation seeking in a community sample of French gamblers: Comparison between strategic and non-strategic gamblers

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between sensation seeking and gambling disorder (GD) in a community sample of gamblers (when controlling for the effect of substance use, gender and age) and see whether sensation seeking scores depend on the gambling activity when comparing strategic and non-strategic gamblers. A total of 380 gamblers was recruited. First, pathological gamblers (PGs) (n =143) were compared to non-pathological gamblers (NPGs) (n =237). Second, strategic gamblers (n =93) were compared to non-strategic gamblers (n =110). Sociodemographic data, gambling behavior (SOGS, DSM-IV), tobacco and alcohol use (CAGE), and sensation seeking (SSS) were evaluated. PGs have higher boredom susceptibility scores than NPGs and this factor is associated with GD. Nevertheless, the relationship between sensation seeking and GD depends on the gambling activity. In fact, sensation seeking is associated with GD in strategic gamblers only. PGs playing strategic games display different profiles from non-strategic PGs. Thus, factors associated with GD differ when the gambling activity is taken into account. These findings are consistent with the idea of it being essential to identify clinically distinct subgroups of PGs in the treatment of GD.

Anxiety, Depression and Emotion Regulation Among Regular Online Poker Players

Poker is a type of gambling that has specific features, including the need to regulate one’s emotion to be successful. The aim of the present study is to assess emotion regulation, anxiety and depression in a sample of regular poker players, and to compare the results of problem and non-problem gamblers. 416 regular online poker players completed online questionnaires including sociodemographic data, measures of problem gambling (CPGI), anxiety and depression (HAD scale), and emotion regulation (ERQ). The CPGI was used to divide participants into four groups according to the intensity of their gambling practice (non-problem, low risk, moderate risk and problem gamblers). Anxiety and depression were significantly higher among severe-problem gamblers than among the other groups. Both significantly predicted problem gambling. On the other hand, there was no difference between groups in emotion regulation (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), which was linked neither to problem gambling nor to anxiety and depression (except for cognitive reappraisal, which was significantly correlated to anxiety). Our results underline the links between anxiety, depression and problem gambling among poker players. If emotion regulation is involved in problem gambling among poker players, as strongly suggested by data from the literature, the emotion regulation strategies we assessed (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) may not be those involved. Further studies are thus needed to investigate the involvement of other emotion regulation strategies.

Is Alexithymia Associated With Dyadic Coping in Couples

The aim of this study was to explore associations between alexithymia and dyadic coping in couples. The Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the Dyadic Coping Inventory were administered to 112 heterosexual couples. The results showed that higher alexithymia was associated with lower dyadic coping for each partner. Unexpectedly, these associations were reversed regarding the couples alexithymia: higher alexithymia in the couple was associated with higher dyadic coping. Associations differed by gender. This study provides a better understanding of the effect of alexithymia on the way couples face stress and underlines the need to investigate alexithymia in couple research and practice.

La thérapie familiale multidimensionnelle (MDFT) : quelles influences, quelles spécificités ?

BACKGROUND Among illegal psycho-active drugs, cannabis is the most consumed by French adolescents. Multidimensional family therapy (MDFT) is a family-based outpatient therapy which has been developed for adolescents with drug and behavioral problems. MDFT has shown its effectiveness in adolescents with substance abuse disorders (notably cannabis abuse) not only in the United States but also in Europe (International Cannabis Need of Treatment project). MDFT is a multidisciplinary approach and an evidence-based treatment, at the crossroads of developmental psychology, ecological theories and family therapy. Its psychotherapeutic techniques find its roots in a variety of approaches which include systemic family therapy and cognitive therapy. OBJECTIVE The aims of this paper are: to describe all the backgrounds of MDFT by highlighting its characteristics; to explain how structural and strategy therapies have influenced this approach; to explore the links between MDFT, brief strategic family therapy and multi systemic family therapy; and to underline the specificities of this family therapy method. DISCUSSION The multidimensional family therapy was created on the bases of 1) the integration of multiple therapeutic techniques stemming from various family therapy theories; and 2) studies which have shown family therapy efficiency. Several trials have shown a better efficiency of MDFT compared to group treatment, cognitive-behavioral therapy and home-based treatment. Studies have also highlighted that MDFT led to superior treatment outcomes, especially among young people with severe drug use and psychiatric co-morbidities. In the field of systemic family therapies, MDFT was influenced by: 1) the structural family therapy (S. Minuchin), 2) the strategic family theory (J. Haley), and 3) the intergenerational family therapy (Bowen and Boszormenyi-Nagy). MDFT has specific aspects: MDFT therapists think in a multidimensional perspective (because an adolescents drug abuse is a multidimensional disorder), they work with the system and the subsystem, focusing on the emotional expression and the parental and adolescent enactment (a principle of change and intervention). MDFT includes four modules (adolescent, parent, family interaction, and extra-familial systems) in three steps (1) build the foundation, (2) prompt action and change by working the themes, and (3) seal the changes and exit). The supervision philosophy and methodology is also based on the principle of multidimensionality. Indeed, many different supervision methods are used in a coordinated way to produce the required adherence and clinical skill (written case conceptualizations, videotape presentation and live supervision). CONCLUSION Family vulnerability and chronicity factors are a major challenge of modern research. MDFT questions the reciprocal adjustments that have to be made by the subject and his/her familial environment. It also helps to clarify the therapeutic interventions in order to enhance better adolescent development. For this purpose, MDFT offers a specific therapeutic frame, for it is a family therapy focused on adolescents with cannabis abuse problems. Its action and questioning on parental practices and adolescents lead to better psycho-educational support. It focuses the therapeutic process on emotions and family capacity for change.

Are online poker problem gamblers sensation seekers

The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between sensation seeking and online poker gambling in a community sample of adult online poker players, when controlling for age, gender, anxiety and depression. In total, 288 online poker gamblers were recruited. Sociodemographic data, gambling behavior (CPGI), sensation seeking (SSS), depression and anxiety (HADS) were evaluated. Problem online poker gamblers have higher sensation seeking scores (total, thrill and adventure, disinhibition and boredom susceptibility subscores) and depression scores than non-problem online poker gamblers. Being male, with total sensation seeking, disinhibition and depression scores are factors associated with online poker problem gambling. These findings are interesting in terms of harm reduction. For example, because disinhibition could lead to increased time and money spent, protective behavioral strategies like setting time and monetary limits should be encouraged in poker online gamblers.

Thérapie familiale multidimensionnelle : conceptualisation du cas en termes de facteurs de risque et de facteurs protecteurs

La therapie familiale multidimensionnelle (MDFT) est un traitement de consultation, base sur la famille, qui s’adresse a des adolescents presentant des conduites addictives (et des troubles du comportement). Initialement concue pour la prise en charge des adolescents ayant une addiction aux substances (notamment le cannabis), cette therapie s’avere tout aussi pertinente et efficace pour ceux ayant une addiction comportementale, particulierement l’usage problematique des jeux video. L’illustration clinique presentee dans cet article permet egalement de mesurer combien la conceptualisation du cas en termes de facteurs de risque et de facteurs protecteurs est riche et essentielle pour definir les differents objectifs therapeutiques a atteindre.