Arousal and Gambling Mode Preference: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to review the literature examining subjective and physiological arousal associated with an individual's preferred modes of gambling. Arousal is hypothesised to play a central role in the onset and maintenance of problem gambling. Most studies have failed to differentiate relevant patterns of arousal elicited by stimuli associated with preferred versus non-preferred modes of gambling on the assumption that similar processes motivate all gamblers. At the conceptual level, sub-typing theories of problem gambling propose differences in the motivation to gamble, and the associated role arousal plays in maintaining behaviours. A review of the existing literature reveals preliminary findings that indicate that gamblers respond differentially to preferred compared to non-preferred gambling stimuli, and that gamblers may display greater reactivity in arousal to gambling cues compared to non-gamblers. Understanding differences in such patterns of arousal can be used to inform clinical interventions by effectively targeting the nature and role of arousal associated with preferred modes of gambling, and determining the extent to which non-preferred modes act as secondary reinforces triggering by gambling urges.

The role of homework in exposure-based CBT outcome for problem gambling

“…A growing body of evidence exists demonstrating problem gamblers exhibit heightened physiological arousal in response to gambling related cues (Baudinet & Blaszynski, 2013). A more direct approach to examine if engagement in cue exposure tasks is related to reduced gambling related cue-reactivity, might be to measure physiological arousal before and after cue exposure.…”

The Relationship Between Stress and Motivation in Pathological Gambling: a Focused Review and Analysis

“…The idea that stress, in the sense of excitement and arousal, is important to gambling is intuitive [11][12][13]. Selye referred to this positive form of activation as Beustress.^More recently, Milkman and Sunderwirth [14] observed that stimulant drugs and gambling can both elicit this kind of Bstress hormone high^(p. 135).…”

Physiological Arousal Deficits in Addicted Gamers Differ Based on Preferred Game Genre

“…Instead of a psychoactive component, research has attributed part of the development and maintenance of pathological gambling to deficits in arousal regulation [23,24,25,26,27]. Arousal is indexed by objective (physiological) and subjective (self-report) measures, and results typically show that pathological gamblers experience both objectively and subjectively different levels of arousal while gambling compared to non-pathological gamblers [28]. Moreover, these arousal differences experienced during gambling are attributed to arousal regulation preferences [28,29].…”

“…Arousal is indexed by objective (physiological) and subjective (self-report) measures, and results typically show that pathological gamblers experience both objectively and subjectively different levels of arousal while gambling compared to non-pathological gamblers [28]. Moreover, these arousal differences experienced during gambling are attributed to arousal regulation preferences [28,29]. Gamblers who engage in more stimulating forms of gambling, such as casino or race track gambling, are thought to be seeking higher levels of arousal.…”

“…Gambling preferences have also been linked to personality traits, with some individuals seeking escapist gambling activities due to co-morbid mood and anxiety disorders, whereas those seeking high-intensity gambling are likely to be highly impulsive, with antisocial personalities [28,29,30,31]. An associated construct of impulsivity known as sensation seeking, or the need for novel and intense experiences [32], has been found to be lower in poker machine gamblers but higher in casino gamblers [33].…”