Background and aimsPathological gambling is associated with comorbid disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and drug and alcohol abuse. Difficulties of emotion regulation may be one of the factors related to the presence of addictive disorders, along with comorbid symptomatology in pathological gamblers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the difficulties of emotion regulation, drug and alcohol abuse, and anxious and depressive symptomatology in pathological gamblers, and the mediating role of difficulties of emotion regulation between anxiety and pathological gambling.MethodsThe study sample included 167 male pathological gamblers (mean age = 39.29 years) and 107 non-gamblers (mean age = 33.43 years). Pathological gambling (SOGS), difficulties of emotion regulation (DERS), drug and alcohol abuse (MUTICAGE CAD-4), and anxious and depressive symptomatology (SA-45) were measured. Student’s t, Pearson’s r, stepwise multiple linear regression and multiple mediation analyses were conducted. The study was approved by an Investigational Review Board.ResultsRelative to non-gamblers, pathological gamblers exhibited greater difficulties of emotion regulation, as well as more anxiety, depression, and drug abuse. Moreover, pathological gambling correlated with emotion regulation difficulties, anxiety, depression, and drug abuse. Besides, emotion regulation difficulties correlated with and predicted pathological gambling, drug and alcohol abuse, and anxious and depressive symptomatology. Finally, emotion regulation difficulties mediated the relationship between anxiety and pathological gambling controlling the effect of age, both when controlling and not controlling for the effect of other abuses.Discussion and conclusionsThese results suggest that difficulties of emotion regulation may provide new keys to understanding and treating pathological gambling and comorbid disorders.
Título: Dependencia emocional y consecuencias psicológicas del abuso de internet y móvil en jóvenes. Resumen: La creciente presencia de las nuevas tecnologías en nuestras vidas hace necesaria el estudio de sus posibles consecuencias y del desarrollo de conductas adictivas. En este sentido, la adolescencia es una edad especialmente vulnerable a la aparición de conductas de riesgo como las adicciones por tratarse de una etapa marcada por un exceso de dependencia. Por ello, con una muestra de 535 jóvenes universitarios, el presente estudio pretende analizar la dependencia emocional y las consecuencias psicológicas en relación al uso de Internet y móvil (a nivel de sintomatología ansiosodepresiva y autoestima), considerando también las diferencias de género, así como el papel que juega la dependencia emocional en este uso y el papel predictor del uso sobre las mencionadas consecuencias. Los resultados muestran que habría diferencias de género en el abuso de móvil, depresión y autoestima. Además, la dependencia emocional correlacionaría con el abuso de Internet y móvil, y ambos constructos correlacionarían con ansiedad, depresión y autoestima. Finalmente. La dependencia emocional sería predictora del abuso de Internet y móvil, así como de la sintomatología ansiosa y depresiva, y de la autoestima, que también serían predictores del abuso de móvil e Internet. Este estudio proporciona nuevas claves a la hora de comprender la dependencia emocional y el abuso de Internet y móvil, y de la relación que mantienen entre sí y con otros constructos. Palabras clave: Dependencia emocional; Internet; móvil; ansiedad; depresión; autoestima.Abstract: New technologies are increasingly present in our daily lives, what makes necessary the study of their possible consequences and relationship with addictive behaviors. In this sense, adolescence is an especially vulnerable age for the appearance of risk behaviors such as addictions, as there is a tendency towards dependency at this development stage. The present study was carried out with a sample of 535 young university students in order to analyze emotional dependency in dating relationships and the psychological consequences of Internet and mobile use (such as anxious and depressive symptoms and low self-esteem), considering gender differences, the role that emotional dependency plays in their use, and the predictive role of their use on the aforementioned consequences. The results showed gender differences in mobile abuse, depression, and self-esteem. Also, emotional dependency correlated with Internet and mobile abuse, and both constructs correlated with anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. Finally, emotional dependency predicted Internet and mobile abuse, as well as anxious and depressive symptomatology and low self-esteem. These variables also predicted mobile and Internet abuse. This study provides new keys to understanding emotional dependency and Internet and mobile abuse, and their inter-relationships and relationship with other constructs.
Gambling disorder is associated with elevated comorbidity with depressive and anxious disorders, and one variable that might help in the understanding of this association is metacognition. In the present study, the relationship between gambling and metacognition and the mediating role of metacognition in the relationship between gambling and depressive and anxious symptomatology were assessed. The sample comprised 124 pathological gamblers from centers that assist pathological gamblers and 204 participants from the general population. The results showed that pathological gamblers had higher levels of depressive and anxious symptomatology. Additionally, pathological gamblers had higher scores for positive beliefs about worry, negative beliefs of uncontrollability and danger, and beliefs about the need to control thoughts; these factors were also positively correlated with depressive and anxious symptomatology. Metacognition also fully mediated the association between gambling and depressive and anxious symptomatology. These results suggest that metacognition could contribute to explaining gambling disorder and the symptomatology associated with it.
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