The role of gambling type on gambling motives, cognitive distortions, and gambling severity in gamblers recruited online.

Isabelle Varescon,Sasha Mathieu,Servane Barrault,Paul Brunault,José C Perales

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0238978

Isabelle Varescon, Sasha Mathieu + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238978

Copy DOI

Abstract

The recent literature shows that the type of gambling practiced influences problem gambling. This study was aimed at investigating the factors associated with gambling type, including gambling severity, gambling motives, and cognitive distortions. A total of 291 regular male gamblers (229 skill gamblers and 62 mixed gamblers, i.e., those who play at least one game of chance and one skill game) were recruited online and assessed for gambling severity (South Oaks Gambling Screen), gambling motives (Gambling Motives Questionnaire-Financial), cognitive distortions (Gambling-Related Cognition Scale), and psychological distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). After controlling for the number of games played and psychological distress, we found that gambling type was significantly associated with gambling severity. Moreover, controlling for psychological distress showed that gambling type was also significantly associated with coping motives and interpretative bias. First, mixed gamblers had higher severity scores and higher coping motivation than skill gamblers; second, skill gamblers seemed more at risk of developing interpretative bias. Thus, the gamblers presented different psychological, motivational, and cognitive profiles according to gambling type, indicating that different clinical interventions may be relevant. Working on coping motives and anxiety and depression symptoms with an abstinence purpose would be more suitable for mixed gamblers. Indeed, working on these points could lead to the gambler reducing or eventually ceasing gambling, as the need to regulate negative emotions through gambling behavior would fade in parallel. Gambling type, psychological distress, gambling motives, and cognitive distortions should be taken into consideration systematically in clinical interventions of patients with plural and mixed practice of games.

Highlights

We investigated two hypotheses: first, that mixed gamblers present a higher psychological distress score than skill gamblers, and second, that gambling type is a predictor of gambling severity, gambling motives, and cognitive distortions
Our study sheds light on the specificity of mixed gambling, which was associated with higher gambling severity, higher coping motives, and higher interpretative bias
Our study shows that mixed gambling is associated with greater psychological distress

Summary

Introduction

While gambling is a leisure activity perceived as a source of entertainment for the majority of gamblers, this behavior can become problematic for some, with the experience of craving, loss. Emotional distress, gambling motives, cognitive distortions, gambling severity, and gambling type of control over behavior, and maintenance despite the existence of negative consequences [1]. The etiology of pathological gambling is complex and multifactorial, several studies have identified gambling motives, cognitive distortions, and emotional states, respectively, as factors involved in the development and maintenance of gambling severity [2,3,4,5,6]

Objectives

Results

Conclusion