Metacognition in Pathological Gambling and Its Relationship with Anxious and Depressive Symptomatology

Abstract

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.

Conceptualizing gambling disorder with the process model of emotion regulation

“…Interestingly, mindfulness is negatively related to GD severity ( Lakey, Campbell, Brown, & Goodie, 2007 ; Reid, Di Tirro, & Fong, 2014 ; Riley, 2012 ), suggesting that PGs may have a deficit in the ability to accept emotional states in a non-judgmental way. In addition, studies on metacognition capacities among PGs provided preliminary evidence that GD severity may be related to positive beliefs toward the need to control thoughts ( Jauregui, Urbiola, & Estevez, 2016 ; Lindberg, Fernie, & Spada, 2011 ; Mansueto et al., 2016 ; Spada & Roarty, 2015 ). PGs often believe that certain types of thoughts have to be suppressed, and this has been demonstrated by Riley ( 2012 ), which reported high levels of thought suppression among PGs.…”

“…Again, research on metacognitions among PGs brought interesting results. Some studies indicate that PGs have high levels of positive beliefs toward the use of perseverative thinking ( Jauregui, Urbiola, et al., 2016 ; Mansueto et al., 2016 ; Spada & Roarty, 2015 ). More closely related to the addictive behavior, it seems that, as previously discussed for alcohol drinking ( Cooper, Frone, Russell, & Mudar, 1995 ; Garofalo & Velotti, 2015 ), PGs have high expectancies toward the efficiency of gambling as a regulatory strategy.…”

Problem gambling and substance use in patients attending community mental health services

“…Similarly, as with substance use disorders, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation are hallmark and potentially transdiagnostic characteristics of BPD and bipolar disorder, which may drive risky reward-seeking behavior, such as excessive gambling. Indeed, impulsivity ( Lorains, Stout, Bradshaw, Dowling, & Enticott, 2014 ; Suomi, Dowling, & Jackson, 2014 ) and emotional dysregulation ( de Lisle, Dowling, & Allen, 2012 ; Jauregui et al., 2016 ) are elevated among individuals with gambling problems. Impulsivity also increases the likelihood of subsequent gambling becoming a problem ( Dowling et al., 2017 ; Liu et al., 2013 ).…”

“…While gambling is a popular pastime for many individuals, it remains a significant public health issue in Australia, with adverse impacts on psychological, social, familial, and/or occupational functioning ( Jauregui, Urbiola, & Estevez, 2016 ; Langham et al., 2016 ; Li, Browne, Rawat, Langham, & Rockloff, 2017 ). Although the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ) reclassified “pathological gambling” as “Gambling Disorder” under “addiction and related disorders,” gambling problems are often conceptualized across a risk continuum.…”

Pathological personality facets and emotion (dys)regulation in gambling disorder

“…Several studies agree on the strong correlation between difficulties in emotion regulation and the severity of gambling disorder (Elmas, Cesur & Oral, ; Jauregui, Urbiola & Estevez, ; Rogier & Velotti, ). According to some studies the Strategies and Awareness dimensions (Estevez, Herrero‐Fernández, Sarabia & Jauregui, ; Williams et al ., ) result crucial in determining gambling severity, while others argue that Non‐acceptance (Jauregui et al ., ) and Impulse dimensions (Estevez et al ., ) have a predominant role. Nevertheless, some studies did not even find significant correlation between emotion regulation difficulties and gambling severity (Ciccarelli, Nigro, Griffiths, Cosenza & D'Olimpio, ; Schreiber, Grant & Odlaug, ).…”