Negative Mood States or Dysfunctional Cognitions: Their Independent and Interactional Effects in Influencing Severity of Gambling Among Chinese Problem Gamblers in Hong Kong

Abstract

Gambling-related cognitions and negative psychological states have been proposed as major factors in the initiation and maintenance of problem gambling (PG). While there are a substantial number of studies supporting the role of cognitive dysfunctions in the initiation and maintenance of PG, very few empirical studies have explored the specific role of negative psychological states in influencing PG behaviours. In addition, very few studies have examined the interaction effects of cognitive dysfunctions and negative psychological states in exerting influence on PG behaviours. Therefore, the present study aims to examine the main and interaction effects of gambling-related cognitions and psychological states on the gambling severity among a group of problem gamblers in Hong Kong. A cross-sectional research design was adopted. A purposive sample of 177 problem gamblers who sought treatment from a social service organization in Hong Kong completed a battery of standardised questionnaires. While gambling-related cognitions were found to exert significant effects on gambling severity, negative psychological states (i.e. stress) significantly moderated the relationship between gambling cognitions and gambling severity. In essence, those participants who reported a higher level of stress had more stable and serious gambling problems than those who reported a lower level of stress irrespective of the level of gambling-related cognitions. The findings of the moderating role of negative emotions in the relationship between cognitive distortions and severity of gambling provide insight towards developing an integrated intervention model which includes both cognitive-behavioural and emotion regulation strategies in helping people with PG.

Alexithymia and Emotion Regulation Strategies in Adolescent Gamblers with and Without At-Risk Profiles

“…Finally, the third aim of this study included the analysis of the mediating role of positive and negative affect in the relationship between alexithymia and MERS in the ARG group, finding that negative affect mediated the relationship between difficulties to identify emotions and the use of MERS in this group but not in the non-problematic gambling group. These results agree with previous studies that show that negative affect mediated between alexithymia and the increase of the severity of gambling disorder (Nöel et al, 2018), between gambling-related cognitions and gambling severity (Wong et al, 2018), and between reward-related responses and gambling severity (Atkinson et al, 2012). Moreover, these results verify the postulates of , who highlighted that identification of emotions is a relevant component that precedes the emotion regulation process, and therefore, emotional states that are difficult to manage may be implicated in the development, maintenance, and severity of gambling disorder.…”

“…That is, gambling may be a dysfunctional way of regulating affect, increasing positive affect or suppressing negative affect (Hudson et al, 2013 ). Therefore, negative emotional states may favor the initiation and maintenance of problem gambling and are related to more stable and severe gambling behaviors (Atkinson et al, 2012 ; Wong et al, 2018 ) with more relapses (Daughters et al, 2005 ). However, other studies have suggested that not negative affect but the desire to gamble is what predicts gambling behavior (Quilty et al, 2017 ).…”

Risk Factors for Gambling Disorder: A Systematic Review

“…. Wong et al, 2017), including excessive alcohol consumption (Browne et al, 2019;Hing & Russell, 2020). However, another study found that troublesome gambling and several of its mental health correlates-depression, anxiety, and stresswere not associated with troubling video game use (Biegun et al, 2020).…”

How learning misconceptions can improve outcomes and youth engagement with gambling education programs

“…While gamblers with and without problems possess misconceptions, those with problems express such cognitions more frequently and more intensely than those without problems (Baboushkin et al, 2001;Joukhador et al, 2004;Raylu & Oei, 2004). Interestingly, recent research has suggested that gambling misconceptions may moderate or mediate the effects of other risk factors on gambling problems (Lévesque et al, 2018;Miller & Currie, 2008;Wong, Zhuang, Jackson, Dowling, & Lo, 2018). In addition, Mathieu et al (2018) studied gambling motives of male poker players and determined that their data were consistent with a process model of gambling where gambling motives led to practice, which increased risk of developing misconceptions, which predicted problems.…”