Abstract
As a non-substance addiction, gambling disorder represents the model for studying the neurobiology of addiction without toxic consequences of chronic drug use. From a neuropsychological perspective, impulsivity is deemed as a potential construct responsible in the onset and development of drug addiction. The objective of this study was to investigate the associations between impulsivity and gambling status in young adults with varying severity of gambling. A sample of 1120 college students, equally divided into non-problem, at-risk and problem gamblers, were administered multiple measures of impulsivity including the UPPSP Impulsive Behaviors Scale (UPPSP), the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11), and the Delay-discounting Test (DDT). Compared with non-problem gamblers, both at-risk gamblers and problem gamblers displayed elevated scores on Negative Urgency, Positive Urgency, Motor Impulsiveness, and Attentional Impulsiveness. Problem gamblers showed higher scores than at-risk gamblers on Positive Urgency. Logistic regression models revealed that only Negative Urgency positively predicted both at-risk gambling and problem gambling compared to non-problem gambling. These results suggest that dimensions of impulsivity may be differentially linked to gambling behavior in young adults, with Negative Urgency putatively identified as an important impulsivity-related marker for the development of gambling disorder, which may provide a better understanding of the pathogenesis.
Highlights
Impulsivity, a multidimensional trait that is viewed as a core pathological construct of many mental disorders[1], is briefly defined as “the tendency to act prematurely without foresight”[2]
We employed a non-dichotomous category of gambling disorder with a relatively large sample, aiming to further explore the relationships between different dimensions of impulsivity traits and gambling behavior using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), the UPPSP Impulsive Behaviors Scale, and a monetary-choice delay discounting test (DDT)[53]
When all variables were simultaneously entered into model, specific traits such as higher negative urgency[54] would be evident prior to the development of overt pathology, representing a vulnerability marker or candidate of gambling disorder[52], other dimensions of impulsivity might not be
Summary
Impulsivity, a multidimensional trait that is viewed as a core pathological construct of many mental disorders[1], is briefly defined as “the tendency to act prematurely without foresight”[2]. To better reflect the taxonomy of gambling behavior and elucidate the potential role of psychological and neurocognitive components in the development from recreational gambling to problem gambling, two recent studies used a non-dichotomous classification of gambling disorder comparing people with PG to those at an increased risk of developing PG (i.e., at-risk PG) as well as those with no risk of PG ((i.e., no-risk PG) on tasks of attentional bias[51], and response inhibition and cognitive flexibility[52]. Impaired response inhibition and cognitive flexibility were found in PG compared with at-risk and no-risk PG, and differences on attentional biases were not significant between PG and at-risk PG, but significant between PG and no-risk PG Despite these limited results, understanding the chain of progression from recreational gambling to problem gambling is vital for understanding the pathogenesis of gambling disorder[52]. When all variables were simultaneously entered into model, specific traits such as higher negative urgency[54] would be evident prior to the development of overt pathology (i.e., elevated scores detected both in at-risk PG and PG compared with no PG, but no difference between at-risk PG and PG), representing a vulnerability marker or candidate of gambling disorder[52], other dimensions of impulsivity might not be
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