Alexithymia in Young Adulthood: A Risk Factor for Pathological Gambling

Abstract

Background: Pathological gambling is more prevalent among postsecondary students than among the general adult population. While the prevalence of pathological gambling in this group has risen over the past decade, factors underlying the development of problem gambling among university students remain largely unexplored. One early study found alexithymia to be associated with pathological gambling. The aim of the present study was to further examine the relationship between alexithymia and gambling among postsecondary students. Methods: The relationship between alexithymia and pathological gambling was examined in 562 postsecondary students who completed the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) and the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Results: Approximately 12% of the sample was classified as alexithymic according to the TAS-20. These individuals were found to have significantly more gambling problems, as measured by the SOGS, than nonalexithymic individuals. Approximately 9% of the sample was classified as pathological gamblers according to the SOGS. These individuals were found to have significantly higher levels of alexithymia, as measured by the TAS-20, than nonproblem gamblers. Conclusions: Alexithymia is associated with pathological gambling and may be a risk factor among postsecondary students for developing severe gambling problems.

Alexithymia and Pathological Gambling: The Mediating Role of Difficulties in Emotion Regulation

“…2013 düzeyde kumar oynayanların oranı, aleksitimik olmayanlara göre daha yüksek bulunmuştur (Parker ve ark. 2005).…”

“…2009) gibi bozukluklarla sıkça birlikte görülebilen aleksitimik özelliklerin, bir davranışsal bağımlılık olan patolojik kumar oynama için de risk etmeni olabileceği düşünülebilir. Öte yandan, literatürde patolojik kumar oynama ve aleksitimi arasındaki ilişkiyi ele alan az sayıda çalışma bulunmaktadır (Lumley ve Roby 1995, Parker ve ark. 2005, Mitrovic ve Brown 2009, Toneatto ve ark.…”

“…Dahası, literatürde de aleksitimi, patolojik kumar oynama ve duygu düzenleme güçlüğü arasında ikili ilişkilere rastlanmaktadır (Lumley ve Roby 1995, Parker ve ark. 2005, Dubey ve ark.…”

The Assessment of Alexithymia in Medical Settings: Implications for Understanding and Treating Health Problems

“…There is consistent evidence that alexithymia is elevated in people with eating disorders (Beales & Dolton, 2000;Carano et al, 2006;Cochrane, Brewerton, Wilson, & Hodges, 1993;De Panfilis, Salvatore, Avanzini, Gariboldi, & Maggini, 2001;Kessler, Schwarze, Filipic, Traue, & von Wietersheim, 2006;Mazzeo & Espelage, 2002;Pinaquy, Chabrol, Simon, Louvet, & Barbe, 2003;ZonneyvilleBender, van Goozen, Cohen-Kettenis, van Elburg, & van Engeland, 2002;Zonnevylle-Bender et al, 2004), problematic gambling (Lumley & Roby, 1995;Parker, Wood, Bond, & Shaughnessy, 2005), and alcohol and drug abuse or dependence (El Rasheed, 2001;Haviland, Hendryx, Shaw, & Henry, 1994;Kauhanen, Julkunen, & Salonen, 1992), although perhaps not cigarette smoking and nicotine dependence (Lumley, Downey, Stettner, Wehmer, & Pomerleau, 1994). One comprehensive study found that compared with controls, patients with eating disorders or alcohol-or drugrelated disorders had similar, high levels of alexithymia, and a path analysis suggested that alexithymia predicted depression that predicted the addictive behavior in these disorders (Speranza et al, 2004).…”

Joueurs de machines à sous dans une population française : étude de la dépression, de l’alexithymie et de la recherche de sensations

“…Ces taux de prévalence sont conformes, voire supérieurs, à ceux retrouvés dans la littérature [32]. Parker et al [35] ont, quant à eux, trouvé une prévalence inférieure dans leur échantillon. D'une part, il est possible que les résultats de ces recherches aient été différents si un diagnostic de jeu pathologique avait été posé (utilisation de critères diagnostiques valides en plus du SOGS).…”