Isabelle Varescon
Université Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité-LPPS, France
Title: Does the relationship between gambling motives, cognitive distortions, emotional states and gambling severity differs according to type of game played?
Biography
Biography: Isabelle Varescon
Abstract
Background and aims: While the literature indicates that gamblers present different motivational, cognitive and emotional profiles depending on the type of game played, few studies to date have examine these variables in skill gamblers versus in non-exclusive skill gamblers. Thus, this study aimed to compare the relationship between gambling motives, cognitive distortions, negative emotional states and gambling severity both in skill and mixed gamblers (both skill games and games of luck).
Methods: A total of 291 regular male gamblers (229 skill gamblers and 62 mixed gamblers) were recruited and assessed for gambling severity using the South Oaks Gambling Screen, gambling motives using the Gambling Motives Questionnaire-Financial, cognitive distortions using the Gambling-Related Cognition Scale and anxiety and depressive symptoms using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale. Multiple regressions by blocks of variables were conducted to verify if the relationship between these variables is different according to the type of game played.
Results: Multiple regressions analysis have shown that mixed gamblers presented an emotional vulnerability that skill gamblers do not seem to express. These results suggest that anxiety and depression linked with coping motives have been conducted these gamblers to experiment gambling activity and continue this practice problematically due to their negative emotional states and the need to escape them.
Discussion and conclusions: The type of game played should be taken into consideration in clinical interventions, especially because gamblers seem to present different profiles according to whether they practice exclusively skill games or have a mixed game practice.