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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1991

Gambling and pathological gambling among university students.

Students from six colleges and universities in five states in the U.S. (New York, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Texas, and Nevada) were surveyed concerning their gambling behavior and the rate of pathological gambling. Type of gambling varied by state, with students in the northeast and Nevada gambling more than students in Oklahoma and Texas. Over 90% of males and 82% of females had gambled. One third of the males and 15% of females gambled once a week or more. Rates of pathological gambling ranged from 8% in New York to 4% in Nevada. The incidence of pathological gambling was high among males, Hispanics, Asians, and Italian-Americans (compared with among other whites), students with non-traffic arrests, those with parents who have gambling problems, and those who abuse alcohol and other drugs. Pathological gambling was only weakly correlated with age, religion, lower grade point average in school, overeating, living in neighborhoods that are "poorer than most," family income, and parental drug use. It was not correlated with academic year in college, marital status, parental occupation, parental alcohol, and bulimic behavior. The implications of the findings for further research and social policy are discussed.

Achievement↗

PubMed1991

Evaluation of patients treated for pathological gambling in a combined alcohol, substance abuse and pathological gambling treatment unit using the Addiction Severity Index.

Seventy-two pathological gambling patients were followed-up after treatment in a combined alcohol, substance abuse and compulsive gambling treatment program. The Addiction Severity Index (modified for use with pathological gamblers) was used to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment. Patients reduced their intake of alcohol, other drugs and their gambling as well as improved in legal, family/social, and psychological functioning. There was a trend for improvement in medical condition and no net change in employment functioning. The study supports the idea that combined treatment is an effective way of dealing with patients whose gambling problems are discovered when they enter treatment for another addiction, as well as for patients whose initial complaints include pathological gambling, with or without additional problems.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Pathological gambling: a clinical and therapeutic-evolutive study of a group of pathologic gamblers].

Gambling dependence or pathological gambling is a psychiatric disorder, recognised as such by the North American Psychiatric Association since 1980. Since 1981 we are carrying out a treatment program for patients who suffer from pathological gambling at the Psychiatric Service of "Ramón y Cajal" Hospital. There is an individualized treatment for each patient and their inclusion in group therapy discussions. We present a descriptive study of the most representative socio-demographic, clinical and therapeutic-evolutive data of 46 patients following treatment in our program. All fulfill the diagnostic criteria of DSM III-R for pathological gambling. They were 37 males and 9 females, with an average age of 39 years. More than half of the patients (58%) were consumers of alcoholic beverages; the drug consumption index found was 4% and practically they all were smokers (87%). The excessive drinking and pathological gambling incidence found among family were 35% and 20% respectively. Our therapeutic results support the idea that pathological gambling is a treatable disorder. After an average of two years following treatment 46% of our patients stopped or notably reduced its impulse to gamble. The high incidence of alcohol or drugs consumption among pathological gamblers and their families suggest a biological and psychological relationship between pathological gambling and the classical addictive disorders.

Adult↗

PubMed2026

Evaluating the Efficacy of Electronic Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (e-SBIRT) for Gambling: An Online Pilot Randomised Trial.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the efficacy of electronic screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (e-SBIRT) at improving gambling outcomes and increasing help-seeking. METHODS: We conducted a two-arm, randomised online pilot trial (n = 83) comparing an e-SBIRT intervention with an active control over 12 weeks. The brief intervention was informed by motivational interviewing and incorporated personalised normative feedback, information provision, and relapse-prevention components. Eligible participants were aged 18 or older, resided in the UK and had scores indicating at least moderate severity gambling. RESULTS: Participants (54 [65.1%] male; mean [SD] age = 40.58 [12.75] years, mean [SD] PGSI = 7.16 [5.58]) in the e-SBIRT and control conditions showed improvements in gambling harms (p = 0.033) and perceived ability to control gambling (p = 0.029). No significant effects of condition assignment or condition x time interactions were observed. However, exploratory analyses of individual model coefficients suggested greater improvement in perceived ability to control gambling among participants receiving e-SBIRT at 12 weeks (p = 0.043). Exploratory analyses also suggested higher rates of help-seeking at 12-week follow-up among participants receiving e-SBIRT. CONCLUSION: Overall, e-SBIRT did not demonstrate clear advantages over assessment and information provision alone. Further research should prioritise refining intervention components and evaluating SBIRT approaches in settings that better reflect its opportunistic delivery model.

Humans↗

PubMed1991

Control versus abstinence in the treatment of pathological gambling: a two to nine year follow-up.

A structured gambling interview schedule, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale and Beck Depression Inventory were administered to 63 out of 120 pathological gamblers who had 5 years previously completed a behavioural treatment for uncontrollable gambling behaviour. Results indicated that both abstinence and controlled gambling outcomes were associated with continued improvement in self-report and psychological indices of social functioning and psychopathology. Response to treatment was associated with a reduction in arousal levels, anxiety and depression. Uncontrolled gamblers failed to show post-treatment changes on parameters of improvement. It was concluded that abstinence is not the only possible therapeutic outcome in behavioural treatment and further, that controlled gambling is not a temporary response which is followed by a return to continued uncontrollable gambling.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Prevalence estimates of pathological gambling in Seville (Spain).

Pathological gambling is becoming an increasing concern for the Spanish population. Governmental figures from 1989 show that in the Autonomic Region of Andalucia, with a population of 7 million inhabitants, more than three hundred billion pesetas (approximately UK pounds 1,500 million) were spent during 1988 gambling in casinos, slot machines and at bingo. These figures represent an increase of 15% over the figures of the previous year and suggest that gambling may have come a very important problem in Spain. This paper presents the first epidemiological study carried out in Spain on gambling and the estimated prevalence of pathological gambling in Seville, political capital of Andalucia. A sample of 598 individuals were interviewed with an adapted screening instrument. The results suggest that further epidemiological studies are required at a national level. They also indicate that preventive and treatment measures should also be taken urgently.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Psychobiology of the near-miss in fruit machine gambling.

Explanations involving the etiology of pathological gambling have tended to emphasize psychosocial factors. However, the possibility that psychobiological factors may be important in the development of pathological gambling behavior should not be ruled out. Psychobiological approaches are becoming ever more prominent with the three main lines of research being (a) a search for a physiological disposition and/or underlying biological substrate in pathological gamblers, (b) an examination of the role of arousal in gambling, and (c) speculation about endorphin-related explanations. The data from questionnaires and interviews with fruit machine gamblers suggest that both physiological and cognitive factors (e.g., the psychology of the near-miss) may be important in the explanation of excessive fruit machine gambling. Thus, if a gambler becomes physiologically aroused when he or she wins or nearly wins, it will stimulate further play, here termed the psychobiology of the near-miss.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

The nature and treatment of excessive gambling.

Satisfactory models of the nature and treatment of excessive gambling must incorporate behavioural, cognitive, emotional and physiological findings. The acquisition of gambling behaviour is apparently influenced by social exposure and financial reinforcement. Continuation is promoted by partial reinforcement schedules and biased cognitions. Excessive gambling also involves changes in the individual's internal state, including physiological arousal, euphoria, distraction and perceived control. These effects might depend on the prior characteristics of the individual. Treatment should remove conditioned triggers, establish alternative means of financial and internal regulation, and reduce the individual's need for the financial and subjective rewards provided by gambling. Treatment goals and resources are discussed.

Arousal↗

PubMed1978

"Compulsive" gambling: the problem of definition.

A model depicting 16 varieties of healthy and pathological gambling is presented. The 16 varieties are formed by combinations of 4 variables--money (won or lost), time devoted to gambling (a lot or a little), other people (negatively affected or not affected), and the gambler's feelings (feels good or bad about his gambling). The model has a logical base and is multifaceted. Its purpose is to force the serious student of gambling to consider alll 16 forms, not just the pathological forms. Certain philosophical, ethical, social, and scientific questions arise.

Compulsive Behavior↗

PubMed1992

[Pathological gambling].

The case of a patient with a pathological urge to gamble is presented. Until 1990, gambling casinos were prohibited in Denmark. In 1990, a new law was enforced which permitted six casinos in Denmark. Previously, no reports were available in the medical literature concerning pathological gambling in Denmark. The incidence of pathological gambling will probably increase as a consequence of the new law.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Prevalence estimates of pathological gambling in Quebec.

Pathological gambling was officially defined and recognized as a psychiatric illness by the American Psychiatric Association in 1980. This survey reports the results of a province-wide study in Quebec based on telephone interviews using standardized assessment instruments with 1,002 subjects. The current prevalence of pathological gambling is 1.2%. The results also show that 88% of the respondents have gambled at least once in their life. The implications of these results for the prevention and treatment of this debilitating disorder are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

[Pathological gambling: literature revue].

This paper summarizes the current literature on pathological gambling. Interest in gambling has been present in every society but treated as an object of sociopolitical or literary interest. It is only from the beginning of this century that psychiatry began to look at pathological gambling, first with Freud and his writing on Dostoïevsky then with other theories like the learning theory, studies on substance dependence, the links with affective syndromes and the psychobiological studies. These studies are presented and discussed. Finally, the authors offer some guidelines for an approach to a pathological gambler.

Behavior, Addictive↗

PubMed1979

Games, goods and gods: an analysis of Iroquoian gambling.

This study questions the traditional, historical view of the Indian as a compulsive gambler. Eleven northern Iroquoian gambling games were examined in both their secular and sacred environments. The analysis demonstrated that social gambling served to establish economic parity within, and between, the ritualistic gambling associated with many ceremonies was quasi-religious in nature and necessary to ensure that the desired outcome of the rite was realized.

Canada↗

PubMed1992

Borderline omnipotence in pathological gambling.

Borderline omnipotence in pathological gambling is examined, including psychodynamics of omnipotence, a theory of the client's use of omnipotence in pathological gambling, and the effects of omnipotence on the treatment and recovery of the pathological gambler. Assessment, staff education, and the need for individualized treatment for the pathological gambler are discussed.

Borderline Personality Disorder↗

PubMed1992

On the determinants of persistent gambling behaviour. I. High-frequency poker machine players.

Persistent gambling was studied as a function of the reinforcement of arousal and winning during normal poker machine playing sessions. Play rate, heart rate, winnings, subjective excitement and expectations of winning were recorded for five male and five female high-frequency players. Autoregressive regression analysis indicated that wins affect play rate for up to three minutes, while effects of the other variables were inconsistent. Markov chain analysis confirmed that wins smaller than 50 credits tend to elevate play rate, while larger wins cause a breakdown in the otherwise very regular rate of play. Results are discussed in relation to the development of impaired control of gambling behaviour.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Comparison of imaginal desensitisation with other behavioural treatments of pathological gambling. A two- to nine-year follow-up.

Of 120 pathological gamblers randomly allocated to imaginal desensitisation (ID) or to other behavioural procedures (60 to each group, all procedures administered over one week) 63 subjects were contacted two to nine years later. Twenty-six of the 33 who received ID reported control or cessation of gambling compared with 16 of 30 who received other behavioural procedures. This difference was significant, indicating ID had a specific effect additional to that of the other behavioural procedures. It is suggested the other procedures could be regarded as placebos. As the response at a mean of over five years to one week of ID is comparable with that reported to more intensive therapies, after briefer follow-up, it is suggested ID is a cost-effective therapy for pathological gambling, and is worth considering when resources are limited.

Aversive Therapy↗

PubMed1979

FI schedules and persistence at gambling in the U.K. betting office.

This study reports on the direct observations of customers in two U.K. betting offices gambling on horse and dog races. These observations revealed that bets were more frequently placed in the last minutes just prior to the start (the OFF), and that this was caused by high-frequency gamblers (customers who had eight or more bets in a session) consistently placing their bets in the last two minutes prior to the OFF. Low-frequency gamblers (three or fewer bets/session) avoided this time period placing their bets earlier, or after the OFF, i.e., on a later race. It was argued that the betting behavior of the "gamblers" could not be explained either in terms of "skillful betting" or solely in terms of variable ratio schedules but was more adequately accounted for in terms of an interval schedule. It was further suggested that time-based schedules might be of heuristic value in generally understanding persistence at gambling while losing.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

[Gambling passion].

Among the populations of advanced western countries during recent decades the number of people with the passion for gambling is increasing. A similar trend may be soon foreseen in Czechoslovakia. The author summarizes contemporary views on the passion for gambling and informs also on forensic psychiatric aspects of this so far not generally accepted diagnostic category leading often to criminal offences.

Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders↗