Top

Published in:

01-09-2009 | Original Paper

Pathological Gambling in Estonia: Relationships with Personality, Self-Esteem, Emotional States and Cognitive Ability

Authors: Pille-Riin Kaare, René Mõttus, Kenn Konstabel

Published in: Journal of Gambling Studies | Issue 3/2009

Abstract

Due to changes in gambling accessibility during the last decade gambling has become more widespread in Estonia and the prevalence of pathological gambling has sharply increased. The present study attempts to identify psychological characteristics of Estonian pathological gamblers. It has been shown that a wide range of social, economic, and individual factors (e.g. personality traits and emotional states) predict the likelihood of becoming a pathological gambler. In the present study, pathological gamblers’ (N = 33) personality traits, self-esteem, self-reported emotional states and cognitive ability were compared to the respective characteristics in a non-gambling control group (N = 42) matched for age, gender and educational level. It was found that compared to controls, pathological gamblers had higher scores on Neuroticism (especially on its immoderation facet) and lower scores on Conscientiousness (especially on its dutifulness and cautiousness facets) and on self-esteem scale. They reported more negative emotional states during the previous month (especially depression and anxiety). Finally, pathological gamblers had lower general cognitive ability. In a logistic regression model, the likelihood of being a pathological gambler was best predicted by high immoderation score and low cognitive ability.

In the present results, however, the interaction term between Neuroticism (or its facet immoderation) and cognitive ability did not significantly predict being a gambler.

Abbott, M., & Volberg, R. (1994). Gambling and pathological gambling: Growth industry and growth pathology of the 1990s. Community Mental Health in New Zealand, 9, 22–31.

Allcock, C. C., & Grace, D. M. (1988). Pathological gamblers are neither impulsive nor sensation seekers. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 22, 307–311. doi:10.3109/00048678809161212.PubMedCrossRef

Aluoja, A., Shlik, J., Vasar, V., Luuk, K., & Leinsalu, M. (1999). Development and psychometric properties of the emotional state questionnaire, a self-report questionnaire for depression and anxiety. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 53, 443–449. doi:10.1080/080394899427692.CrossRef

American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

Bagby, M. R., Vachon, D. D., Bulmash, E. L., Toneatto, T., Quilty, L. C., & Costa, P. T. (2007). Pathological gambling and the five-factor model of personality. Personality and Individual Differences, 43, 873–880. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2007.02.011.CrossRef

Baumeister, R. F. (1997). Esteem threat, self-regulatory breakdown, and emotional distress as factors in self-defeating behaviour. Review of General Psychology, 1, 145–174. doi:10.1037/1089-2680.1.2.145.CrossRef

Baumeister, R. F., & Tice, D. M. (1985). Self-esteem and responses to success and failure: Subsequent performance and intrinsic motivation. Journal of Personality, 53, 450–467. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.1985.tb00376.x.CrossRef

Blaszczynski, A., & McConaghy, N. (1989). Anxiety and/or depression in the pathogenesis of addictive gambling. The International Journal of the Addictions, 24, 337–350.PubMed

Blaszczynski, A., Steel, Z., & McConaghy, N. (1997). Impulsivity in pathological gambling: The antisocial impulsivist. Addiction (Abingdon, England), 92, 75–87. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.1997.tb03639.x.

Blaszczynski, A., Wilson, A. C., & McConaghy, N. (1986). Sensation seeking and pathological gambling. British Journal of Addiction, 81, 113–117. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.1986.tb00301.x.PubMedCrossRef

Clark, L. A., & Watson, D. (1991). Tripartite model of anxiety and depression: Psychometric evidence and taxonomic implications. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 316–336. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.100.3.316.PubMedCrossRef

Clarke, D. (2006). Impulsivity as a mediator in the relationship between depression and problem gambling. Personality and Individual Differences, 40, 5–15. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2005.05.008.CrossRef

Costa, P. T., Jr., & McCrae, R. R. (1992). Revised NEO personality inventory (NEO-PI-R) and NEO five-factor inventory (NEO-FFI) professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.

Cox, B. J., Yu, N., & Afifi, T. O. (2005). A national survey of gambling problems in Canada. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 50, 213–217.

Cunningham-Williams, R. M., Cottler, L. B., Compton, W. M., & Spitznagel, E. L. (1998). Taking chances: Problem gamblers and mental health disorders: Results from the St. Louis epidemiologic catchment area study. American Journal of Public Health, 88, 1093–1096. doi:10.2105/AJPH.88.7.1093.PubMedCrossRef

el-Guebaly, N., Patten, S. B., Currie, S., Williams, J. V. A., Beck, C. A., Maxwell, C. J., et al. (2006). Epidemiological associations between gambling behaviour, substance use & mood and anxiety disorders. Journal of Gambling Studies, 22, 275–287.PubMedCrossRef

Estonian Gaming Operator Association. (2009). Retrieved January 23, 2009, from http://www.ehkl.ee/index.php?page=56.

Faktum Uuringukeskus. (2004). Elanike kokkupuuted hasart- ja õnnemängudega (Gambling prevalence in Estonia). Tallinn: Faktum.

Fisher, S. (2000). Measuring the prevalence of sector specific problem gambling: A study of casino patrons. Journal of Gambling Studies, 16, 25–52. doi:10.1023/A:1009479300400.PubMedCrossRef

Getty, H. A., Watson, J. G., & Frisch, R. (2000). A comparison of depression and styles of coping in male and female GA members and controls. Journal of Gambling Studies, 16, 377–391. doi:10.1023/A:1009480106531.PubMedCrossRef

Gottfredson, L. (1997). Why g matters: The complexity of everyday life. Intelligence, 24, 79–132. doi:10.1016/S0160-2896(97)90014-3.CrossRef

Griffiths, M. (1999). Gambling technologies: Prospects for problem gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies, 15, 265–283. doi:10.1023/A:1023053630588.PubMedCrossRef

Hodgins, D. C., Peden, N., & Cassidy, E. (2005). The association between comorbidity and outcome in pathological gambling: A prospective follow-up of recent quitter. Journal of Gambling Studies, 21, 255–271. doi:10.1007/s10899-005-3099-3.PubMedCrossRef

Ibanez, A., Blanco, C., Donahue, E., Lesieur, H. R., de Castro, I. P., Fernandez-Piqueras, J., et al. (2001). Psychiatric comorbidity in pathological gamblers seeking treatment. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 158, 1733–1735. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.158.10.1733.PubMedCrossRef

Jacques, C., Ladouceur, R., & Ferland, F. (2000). Impact of availability on gambling: A longitudinal study. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 45, 810–815.

Jensen, A. R. (1998). The g factor: The science of mental ability. Westport, CT: Praeger.

Kim, S. W., Grant, J. E., Eckert, E. D., Faris, P. L., & Hartman, B. K. (2006). Pathological gambling and mood disorders: Clinical associations and treatment implications. Journal of Affective Disorders, 92, 109–116. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2005.12.040.PubMedCrossRef

Kuley, N. B., & Jacobs, D. F. (1988). The relationship between dissociative-like experiences and sensation seeking among social and problem gamblers. Journal of Gambling Behavior, 4, 197–207. doi:10.1007/BF01018332.CrossRef

Laansoo, S. (2005). Patoloogiline hasartmängimine: ulatus Eestis ning seosed käitumuslike ja isiksuslike riskifaktoritega (Pathological gambling in Estonia and the relationships with behavioural and personal risk factors). Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Tallinn, Estonia.

Laansoo, S., & Niit, T. (2008). Gambling in Estonia. In G. Meyer, T. Hayer, & M. Griffiths (Eds.), Problem gambling in Europe extent and preventive efforts. New York: Springer.

Langewisch, M. W. J., & Frisch, G. R. (1998). Gambling behaviour and pathology in relation to impulsivity, sensation seeking, and risky behaviour in male college students. Journal of Gambling Studies, 14, 245–262. doi:10.1023/A:1022005625498.CrossRef

Lesieur, H. R., & Blume, S. B. (1987). The south oaks gambling screen (The SOGS): A new instrument for the identification of pathological gamblers. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 1184–1188.PubMed

Lesieur, H. R., & Blume, S. B. (1993). Revising the south oaks gambling screen in different settings. Journal of Gambling Studies, 9, 213–223. doi:10.1007/BF01015919.CrossRef

MacCallum, F., Blaszczynski, A., Ladouceur, R., & Nower, L. (2007). Functional and dysfunctional impulsivity in pathological gambling. Personality and Individual Differences, 4, 1829–1838. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2007.06.002.CrossRef

Mõttus, R., Pullmann, H., & Allik, J. (2006). Toward more readable big five personality inventories. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 22, 149–157. doi:10.1027/1015-5759.22.3.149.CrossRef

Parke, J., & Griffiths, M. (2006). The psychology of the fruit machine: The role of structural characteristics (Revisited). International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 4, 151–179. doi:10.1007/s11469-006-9014-z.CrossRef

Perkins, A. M., & Corr, P. J. (2006). Cognitive ability as a buffer to neuroticism: Churchill’s secret weapon? Personality and Individual Differences, 40, 39–51. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2005.05.012.CrossRef

Petry, N. M., Stinson, F. S., & Grant, B. F. (2005). Comorbidity of DSM-IV pathological gambling and other psychiatric disorders: Results from the national epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 66, 564–574.PubMedCrossRef

Pullmann, H., & Allik, J. (2000). The Rosenberg self-esteem scale: its dimensionality, stability and personality correlates in Estonian. Personality and Individual Differences, 28, 701–715. doi:10.1016/S0191-8869(99)00132-4.CrossRef

Raven, J. (1981). Manual for Raven’s progressive matrices and mill hill vocabulary scales. Oxford: Oxford Psychologists Press.

Raven, J. (2000). The Raven’s progressive matrices: Change and stability over culture and time. Cognitive Psychology, 41, 1–48. doi:10.1006/cogp.1999.0735.PubMedCrossRef

Raylu, N., & Oei, T. P. S. (2002). Pathological gambling: A comprehensive review. Clinical Psychology Review, 22, 1009–1061. doi:10.1016/S0272-7358(02)00101-0.PubMedCrossRef

Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and adolescent child. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Rosenberg, M. (1979). Conceiving the self. New York: Basic Books.

Scherrer, J. F., Slutske, W. S., Hong, X., Waterman, B., Shah, K. R., Volberg, R., et al. (2007). Factors associated with pathological gambling at 10-year follow-up in a national sample of middle-aged men. Addiction (Abingdon, England), 102, 970–978. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2007.01833.x.

Slutske, W. S., Caspi, A., Moffitt, T. E., & Poulton, R. (2005). Personality and problem gambling: A prospective study of a birth cohort of young adults. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62, 769–775. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.62.7.769.PubMedCrossRef

Steel, Z., & Blaszczynski, A. (1998). Impulsivity, personality disorders and pathological gambling severity. Addiction (Abingdon, England), 93, 895–905. doi:10.1046/j.1360-0443.1998.93689511.x.

Strenze, T. (2007). Intelligence and socioeconomic success: A meta-analytic review of longitudinal research. Intelligence, 35, 401–426. doi:10.1016/j.intell.2006.09.004.CrossRef

Stucki, S., & Rihs-Middel, M. (2007). Prevalence of adult problem and pathological gambling between 2000 and 2005. Journal of Gambling Studies, 23, 245–257. doi:10.1007/s10899-006-9031-7.CrossRef

Turu-uuringud. (2006). Elanikkonna kokkupuude hasart- ja õnnemängudega (Gambling prevalence in Estonia). Tallinn: Turu-uuringud.

Vitaro, F., Arsenault, L., & Tremblay, R. E. (1997). Dispositional predictors of problem gambling in male adolescents. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 154, 1769–1770.PubMed

Volberg, R. A. (1994). The prevalence and demographics of pathological gamblers: Implications for public health. American Journal of Public Health, 84, 237–241. doi:10.2105/AJPH.84.2.237.PubMedCrossRef

Welte, J. W., Barnes, G. M., Wieczorek, W. F., Tidwell, M.-C. O., & Parker, J. C. (2004). Risk factors for pathological gambling. Addictive Behaviors, 29, 323–335. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2003.08.007.PubMedCrossRef

World Health Organization. (1993). The ICD-10 classification of mental and behavioural disorders. Diagnostic criteria for research. Geneva: World Health Organization.

Title: Pathological Gambling in Estonia: Relationships with Personality, Self-Esteem, Emotional States and Cognitive Ability
Authors: Pille-Riin Kaare
René Mõttus
Kenn Konstabel
Publication date: 01-09-2009
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Journal of Gambling Studies / Issue 3/2009
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3602
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-009-9119-y

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Pathological Gambling in Estonia: Relationships with Personality, Self-Esteem, Emotional States and Cognitive Ability

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 3/2009

Is Video-Game Playing a Risk Factor for Pathological Gambling in Australian Adolescents?

Impulse Control Disorder Behaviors Associated with Pramipexole Used to Treat Fibromyalgia

Extremely Frequent Behavior in Consumer Research: Theory and Empirical Evidence for Chronic Casino Gambling

Affect-Regulation Expectancies among Gamblers

Impact of Visiting an Onsite Casino Information Centre on Perceptions about Randomness and Gambling Behaviours

A Comparison of Ambient Casino Sound and Music: Effects on Dissociation and on Perceptions of Elapsed Time While Playing Slot Machines