South Oaks Gambling Screen Scores Research Articles

A Preliminary Investigation into Motivational Factors Associated with Older Adults’ Problem Gambling

Little is known about the relative importance of older problem gamblers’ motives for gambling. A questionnaire consisting of demographic items, questions about gambling behavior, the past year Revised South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS-R), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and the Gambling Motivation Scale (GMS), was completed by a convenience sample of 104 older adults (65+ years) who gambled for money. Frequency of gambling, number of activities, largest amount spent in a single session and parents’ gambling were significantly associated with problem gambling, but not psychological distress. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that beyond these situational variables, motivation explained approximately 12% of the variance in SOGS-R scores. Unique motivational predictors of problem gambling were stimulation and amotivation (meaninglessness). The results were discussed in terms of activity theory and findings from comparable studies with older and younger gamblers. Health professionals and researchers need to consider risk factors for problem gambling among older adults’ choices of social activities.

Suicide Ideation and Behaviour in People with Pathological Gambling Attending a Treatment Service

This study aimed to describe the 12-month period prevalence and risk factors for suicidal ideation and behaviour in a cohort of patients with pathological gambling attending a treatment service. Seventy-nine people with a diagnosis of pathological gambling received a mail out survey that included questions on postulated risk factors for suicidal ideation and behaviour, the modified Suicide Ideation Scale (SIS), the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the CAGE. A total of 54.4% of the surveys were returned completed. There were 81.4% who showed some suicidal ideation and 30.2% reported one or more suicide attempts in the preceding 12 months. Suicidal ideation and behaviours were positively correlated with the gambling severity (SOGS scores), the presence of debt attributed to gambling, alcohol dependence and depression (BDI). Suicidal ideation/behaviour was not significantly associated with gender and living arrangements, nor a history of receiving treatment for depression during the preceding 12 months. People with pathological gambling attending a treatment service had higher levels of suicidal ideation and behaviour than previous studies. Pathological gambling should be seen as a chronic condition with a similar risk for suicidal ideation and behaviour as other mental illnesses. Counselling services, general practitioners and mental health services should screen for gambling problems when assessing risk after suicide attempts and for suicide risk in patients presenting with gambling problems and co-morbid depression, alcohol abuse and a previous suicide attempt.

Problem and Pathological Gambling Among College Athletes

Problematic gambling is common in college students, and in particular, athletes. The frequency of problem and pathological gambling was determined among 636 college athletes at three Midwest universities using the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS). The Gambling Attitude Scale (GAS) was used to assess college athletes' attitudes toward gambling in general and toward four modes of gambling (casinos, betting on horse races, lottery and the Internet). A profile of college athletes' gambling attitudes and behavior was developed through the data obtained from each of these instruments. Nearly 15% of respondents had a SOGS score >or=3, indicating problem or pathological gambling. Those at risk for a gambling problem gambled frequently, had family and/or friends with perceived gambling problems, were nonwhite, older, started gambling at a younger age, preferred games of skill, and held positive attitudes toward gambling in general and Internet gambling, in particular. Gambling problems are widespread among college athletes who constitute a vulnerable group. Specific interventions are needed to target this group.

Explaining the High False Positive Rate of the South Oaks Gambling Screen

The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) has been used extensively in estimating the prevalence of pathological gambling but produces a large number of false positive classifications. Ladouceur et al. (2000, Journal of Gambling Studies, 16, pp. 1–24) claim that misunderstanding of SOGS items is responsible for the high false positive rate. However, their study is open to a number of methodological criticisms. The current study, where clinical and non-clinical gamblers complete the SOGS with and without clarification, overcomes these problems. Results suggest that clarification does not have a significant overall effect on SOGS scores. This implies that item misunderstanding is not responsible for the false positive rate of the SOGS.

Impulsiveness, Locus of Control, Motivation and Problem Gambling

A questionnaire consisting of demographic items, questions about gambling behavior, the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), a depression inventory, the Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire, Levenson's Internality, Powerful Others and Chance Scales of locus of control and the Gambling Motivation Scale, was completed by a non-random sample of 147 New Zealand university students who gambled for money, median age 24 years. Approximately 17 of the sample was classified as problem gamblers, the rest as non-problem gamblers. Multivariate analysis of variance showed that there were significant differences between problem and non-problem gamblers on gambling frequency, number of activities, parents' gambling, depression, impulsiveness and motivation, but not on locus of control. Amotivation (apathy) and motivation towards stimulation correlated with powerful others and chance locus of control, and motivation to impress others with powerful others locus of control. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that: (1) beyond gambling frequency, number of activities and parents' gambling, motivation explained a substantial proportion of variance in SOGS scores, with impulsiveness accounting for a lesser amount, and (2) predictors of problem gambling included impulsiveness, amotivation and the motivations for accomplishment and tension release. It was concluded that gambling motivation is a more useful construct than locus of control in explaining problem gambling. Suggestions were made for future research, and aspects of gambling motivation were discussed in terms of a treatment program with groups of problem gamblers.

A new instrument to measure cognitive distortions in video lottery terminal users: the Informational Biases Scale (IBS).

This paper reports on the development of a new scale, the Informational Biases Scale (IBS), to measure cognitive distortions such as the illusion of control, gambler's fallacy,illusory correlations, and the availability heuristic in video lottery terminal (VLT) players. Ninety-six VLT players recruited from bars in New Brunswick took part in the study. Their average (lifetime) South Oaks Gambling Screen score was in the probable pathological gambler range. The 25-item IBS was shown to have good internal consistency reliability. An exploratory principal components/factor analysis revealed the variability of the IBS to be accounted for by mainly one factor. The construct validity of the instrument was supported by the finding that IBS scores were uniquely determined by measures of gambling addiction and negative affect. The IBS should prove useful in both research and clinical settings involving VLT gamblers.

Cognitive distortions in heavy gambling.

A sample of 38 regular and heavy gamblers, recruited through advertisements and not seeking treatment, were asked to describe special strategies, techniques or rituals that they used to increase their chances of winning at gambling in an open-ended interview. The mean South Oaks Gambling Screen Score for the sample was 7.7 with 64% of the sample scoring higher than 4. Their responses reflected multiple means by which the individual believed they were able to control (i.e., active illusory control, passive illusory control), reframe (i.e., interpretive control), or predict (i.e., probability control, predictive control) gambling outcomes. A larger number of cognitive distortions was associated with playing games in which skill was potentially a component (e.g., cards, sports) than in non-skill games (e.g., lotteries) as well as a positive family history of gambling. There were no sex differences. Implications of these findings for the cognitive psychopathology of gambling are discussed.

Problem gambling in a federal prison population: results from the South Oaks Gambling Screen.

Three hundred and sixty three medium security federal prison inmates were interviewed with the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) with 5.2% of the sample achieving SOGS scores greater than 4 and another 7.4% attaining scores of 3 or 4, traditional markers of pathological gambling and problem gambling, respectively. Attempts were made to evaluate the relative accuracy of the continuum and dichotomy models of problem gambling by contrasting three groups of subjects (SOGS<3, SOGS=3 or 4, SOGS>4) on a series of gambling-related measures and comparing the relative ability of the SOGS and a dichotomized version of the SOGS to account for residual variance in these same gambling-related measures. Results were consistent with the view that problem gambling embodies features of both a continuum and dichotomy. Nearly half the subjects had desisted from problem gambling on their own, although self-remitters displayed less severe and extensive patterns of problem gambling than non-remitting subjects.