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Journal of Gambling Studies
Published in: Journal of Gambling Studies 4/2017

01-12-2017 | Original Paper

Anxiety, Depression and Emotion Regulation Among Regular Online Poker Players

Authors: Servane Barrault, Céline Bonnaire, Florian Herrmann

Published in: Journal of Gambling Studies | Issue 4/2017

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Abstract

Poker is a type of gambling that has specific features, including the need to regulate one’s emotion to be successful. The aim of the present study is to assess emotion regulation, anxiety and depression in a sample of regular poker players, and to compare the results of problem and non-problem gamblers. 416 regular online poker players completed online questionnaires including sociodemographic data, measures of problem gambling (CPGI), anxiety and depression (HAD scale), and emotion regulation (ERQ). The CPGI was used to divide participants into four groups according to the intensity of their gambling practice (non-problem, low risk, moderate risk and problem gamblers). Anxiety and depression were significantly higher among severe-problem gamblers than among the other groups. Both significantly predicted problem gambling. On the other hand, there was no difference between groups in emotion regulation (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), which was linked neither to problem gambling nor to anxiety and depression (except for cognitive reappraisal, which was significantly correlated to anxiety). Our results underline the links between anxiety, depression and problem gambling among poker players. If emotion regulation is involved in problem gambling among poker players, as strongly suggested by data from the literature, the emotion regulation strategies we assessed (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) may not be those involved. Further studies are thus needed to investigate the involvement of other emotion regulation strategies.
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Metadata
Title
Anxiety, Depression and Emotion Regulation Among Regular Online Poker Players
Authors
Servane Barrault
Céline Bonnaire
Florian Herrmann
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Gambling Studies / Issue 4/2017
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3602
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-017-9669-3

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