Top

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction

Published in:

01-08-2012

The Role of Impulsivity, Sensation Seeking, Coping, and Year of Study in Student Gambling: A Pilot Study

Authors: Luke A. Benson, Christine Norman, Mark D. Griffiths

Published in: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction | Issue 4/2012

Abstract

Students are among the most prevalent gamblers with the highest incidence of problem gambling. Furthermore, research into gambling has noted certain personality traits and coping mechanisms to be highly predictive of gambling in student populations. The present study examined the role of impulsivity, sensation seeking, coping strategies, and year of study in predicting gambling frequency in students. An opportunity sample of 109 university students (53 first year students and 56 final year students) were administered a survey including the Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking, the Barrett Impulsiveness Scale, and the Student Coping Scale. The results indicated that impulsivity and being in the first year of study were significantly predictive of gambling frequency. The findings suggest the importance of personality traits, the year of study, and specific coping mechanisms in understanding motivations to gamble. The findings particularly suggest the importance of providing gambling educational awareness among first year students.

Alessi, S. M., & Petry, N. M. (2003). Pathological gambling is associated with impulsivity in a delay discounting procedure. Behavioural Processes, 64, 345–354.PubMedCrossRef

Arnett, J. (1994). Sensation seeking: A new conceptualization and a new scale. Personality and Individual Differences, 16, 289–296.CrossRef

Barrett, E. S., & Patton, J. H. (1983). Impulsivity: Cognitive, behavioural, and psychophysiological correlates. In M. Zuckerman (Ed.), Biological bases of sensation seeking, impulsivity and anxiety (pp. 77–117). Hillsdale: Erlbaum.

Bergevin, T., Gupta, R., Derevensky, J., & Kaufman, F. (2006). Adolescent gambling: Understanding the role of stress and coping. Journal of Gambling Studies, 22, 195–208.CrossRef

Blaszczynski, A., & Nower, L. (2002). A pathways model of problem and pathological gambling. Addiction, 97, 487–499.PubMedCrossRef

Blaszczynski, A., Steel, Z., & McConaghy, N. (1997). Impulsivity in pathological gambling: The antisocial impulsivist. Addiction, 92, 75–87.PubMedCrossRef

Carver, C. S., Scheier, M. F., & Weintrub, J. K. (1989). Assessing coping strategies: A theoretically based approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56, 267–283.PubMedCrossRef

Caswell, J. (2006). Listening to their stories: Students’ perspectives about campus gambling. New Directions For Student Services, 113, 25–32.CrossRef

Comings, D. E., Saucier, G., & MacMucrray, J. P. (2000). The role of the DRD2 and other dopamine genes in personality traits. In J. Benjamin, R. P. Ebstein, & R. H. Beimaker (Eds.), Molecular genetics and human personality. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric.

Coventry, K. R., & Brown, R. I. F. (1993). Sensation seeking, gambling and gambling addictions. Addition, 88, 541–554.CrossRef

Cummins, L., Nadorff, M., & Kelly, A. (2009). Winning and positive affect can lead to reckless gambling. Psychology of Addictive Behaviours, 23, 287–294.CrossRef

Echeburua, E., Baez, C., & Fernandez-Montalvo, J. (1996). Comparative effectiveness of three therapeutic modalities in the psychological treatment of pathological gambling. Behavioral and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 24, 51–72.CrossRef

Griffiths, M. D. (2006). An overview of pathological gambling. In T. Plante (Ed.), Mental disorders of the new millennium. Vol. I: Behavioral issues (pp. 73–98). New York: Greenwood.

Griffiths, M. D., & Delfabbro, P. (2001). The biopsychosocial approach to gambling: Contextual factors in research and clinical interventions. Journal of Gambling Issues. Located at: http://www.camh.net/egambling/issue5/feature/index.html (Last accessed 17 April 2011).

Griffiths, M. D., & Parke, J. (2003). The environmental psychology of gambling. In G. Reith (Ed.), Gambling: Who wins? Who Loses? (pp. 277–292). New York: Prometheus Books.

Hodgins, D. C., & El-Guebaly, N. (2000). Natural and treatment assisted recovery from gambling problems: Comparison of resolved and active gamblers. Addiction, 95, 777–789.PubMedCrossRef

Ladouceur, R., Ferland, F., Vitaro, F., Poulin, C., & Weibe, J. (2005). Concordance between the SOGS-RA and the DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling among youth. Psychology of Addictive Behaviours, 19, 271–286.CrossRef

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

Lightsey, R., Hulsey, O., & Duncan, C. (2002). Impulsivity, coping, stress and problem gambling among university students. Journal of Counselling Psychology, 49, 202–211.CrossRef

Marget, N., Gupta, R., & Derevensky, J., (1999). The psychosocial factors underlying adolescent problem gambling. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, Boston, MA.

Martens, M., Rocha, L., Cimini, D., Diaz-Myers, A., Rivero, E., & Wilfert, E. (2009). The co-occurrence of alcohol use and gambling activities in first-year college students. Journal of American College Health, 57, 597–602.PubMedCrossRef

McDaniel, S., & Zuckerman, M. (2003). The relationship of impulsive sensation seeking and gender to interest and participation in gambling activities. Personality and Individual Differences, 35, 1385–1400.CrossRef

Mitchell, S. H. (1999). Measures of impulsivity in cigarette smokers and nonsmokers. Psychopharmacology, 146, 455–464.PubMedCrossRef

Moeller, F. G., Dougherty, D. M., Barratt, E. S., Oderinde, V., Mathias, C. W., Harper, R. A., et al. (2002). Increased impulsivity in cocaine dependent subjects independent of antisocial personality disorder and aggression. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 68, 105–111.PubMedCrossRef

National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2002). A call to action: Changing the culture of drinking at U.S. Colleges. NIH Pub: Author.

Neighbors, C., Lostutter, T. W., Cronce, J. M., & Larimer, M. E. (2002). Exploring college student gambling motivation. Journal of Gambling Studies, 18(4), 361–370.PubMedCrossRef

Nower, L., Derevensky, J., & Gupta, R. (2000). Youth gamblers and substance abusers: A comparison of stress-coping styles and risk-taking behaviour of two addicted adolescent populations. Paper presented at the 11th International Conference on Gambling and Risk-Taking, Las Vagas, Nevada.

Nower, L., Derevensky, J., & Gupta, R. (2004). The relationship of impulsivity, sensation seeking, coping and substance use in youth gamblers. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 18, 49–55.PubMedCrossRef

Parke, J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2007). The role of structural characteristics in gambling. In G. Smith, D. Hodgins, & R. Williams (Eds.), Research and measurement issues in gambling studies (pp. 211–243). New York: Elsevier.

Parker, J. D. A., & Endler, N. S. (1996). Coping and defence: A historical overview. In M. Zeidner & N. S. Endler (Eds.), Handbook of coping (pp. 3–23). New York: Wiley.

Patton, J. M., Stanford, M. S., & Barratt, E. S. (1995). Factor structure of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 51, 768–774.PubMedCrossRef

Pecchinenda, A., Dretsch, M., & Chapman, P. (2006). Working memory involvement in emotion-based processes underlying choosing advantageously. Experimental Psychology, 53, 191–197.PubMedCrossRef

Powell, J., Hardoon, K., Derevensky, J. L., & Gupta, R. (1999). Gambling and risk-taking behaviour among university students. Substance Use & Misuse, 34, 1167–1184.CrossRef

Scannell, E. D., Quirk, M. M., Smith, K., Maddern, R., & Dickerson, M. (2000). Females’ coping styles and control over poker machine gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies, 16, 417–432.PubMedCrossRef

Shaffer, H. J., Hall, M. N., & Bilt, J. V. (1999). Estimating the prevalence of disordered gambling behaviour in the United States and Canada: A research synthesis. American Journal of Public Health, 89, 1369–1376.PubMedCrossRef

Sharpe, L., & Tarrier, N. (1993) Towards a cognitive-behavioural theory of problem gambling. British Journal of Psychiatry, 162, 407–412.PubMedCrossRef

Sobell, L. C., Cunningham, J. A., Sobell, M. B., & Toneatto, T. (1993). A lifespan perspective on natural recovery (self-change) from alcohol problems. In J. S. Baer, G. A. Marlatt, & R. J. McMahon (Eds.), Addictive behaviors across the lifespan: Prevention, treatment, and policy issues. Beverly Hills: Sage.

Steel, Z., & Blaszczynski, A. (1996). The factorial structure of pathological gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies, 12, 3–20.CrossRef

Struthers, C., Perry, R., & Menac, V. (2000). An examination of the relationship among academic stress, coping, motivation, and performance in college. Research in Higher Education, 51, 581–592.CrossRef

Sylvain, C., Ladouceur, R., & Boisvert, J. M. (1997). Cognitive and behavioral treatment of pathological gambling: A controlled study. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 65, 727–732.CrossRef

Tochov, K., Wilfert, E. (2004). The error in predicting emotions and its relationship to college students’ gambling, alcohol, and drug use. Paper presented at: Annual Meeting of the Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies; New Orleans, LA.

Toneatto, T., & Ladouceur, R. (2003). Treatment of Pathological gambling: A critical review of the literature. Psychology of Addictive Behaviours, 17, 284–292.CrossRef

Toneatto, T., Sobell, L. C., Rubel, E., & Sobell, M. B. (1999). Natural recovery from cocaine dependence. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 13, 259–268.CrossRef

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

Vitaro, F., Brendgen, M., Ladouceur, R., & Tremblay, R. (2001). Gambling, delinquency, and drug use during adolescence: Mutual influences and common risk factors. Journal of Gambling Studies, 17, 171–190.PubMedCrossRef

Volberg, R., Gupta, R., Griffiths, M. D., Olason, D. & Delfabbro, P. H. (2010). An international perspective on youth gambling prevalence studies. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 22, 3–38.PubMedCrossRef

Weinstock, J., Whelan, J., & Meyers, A. (2008). College students’ gambling behaviour: When does it become harmful? Journal of American College Health, 56, 513–521.PubMedCrossRef

Welte, J., Barnes, G., Weiczorek, W., & Tidwell, M. (2004). Gambling participation and pathology in the United States—A sociodemographic analysis using classification trees. Addictive Behaviours, 29, 983–989.CrossRef

Wood, R. T. A., & Griffiths, M. D. (2007). A qualitative investigation of problem gambling as an escape-based coping strategy. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 80, 107–125.CrossRef

Wood, R. T. A., Gupta, R., Derevensky, J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2004). Video game playing and gambling in adolescents: Common risk factors. Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse 14, 77–100.CrossRef

Zuckerman, M. (1979). Sensation seeking: Beyond the optimal level of arousal. Hillsdale: Erlbaum.

Title: The Role of Impulsivity, Sensation Seeking, Coping, and Year of Study in Student Gambling: A Pilot Study
Authors: Luke A. Benson
Christine Norman
Mark D. Griffiths
Publication date: 01-08-2012
Publisher: Springer-Verlag
Published in: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction / Issue 4/2012
Print ISSN: 1557-1874
Electronic ISSN: 1557-1882
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-011-9326-5

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

The Role of Impulsivity, Sensation Seeking, Coping, and Year of Study in Student Gambling: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 4/2012

Excessive Eating and Compulsive Buying Behaviours in Women: An Empirical Pilot Study Examining Reward Sensitivity, Anxiety, Impulsivity, Self-Esteem and Social Desirability

Patients Who Attend the Emergency Department Following Medication Overdose: Self-reported Mental Health History and Intended Outcomes of Overdose

An Exploration of Quality of Life and its Predictors in Patients with Addictive Disorders: Gambling, Alcohol and Drugs

Electronic Interests and Behaviours Associated with Gambling Problems

Texas Hold’em Online Poker: A Further Examination

A Pilot Group Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Program for Problem Gamblers in a Rural Australian Setting