The transition time to gambling disorder: The roles that age, gambling preference and personality traits play

Abstract:

Background and aims: Gambling Disorder (GD) is considered a heterogeneous, multidimensional pathology with high personal and social consequences. The transition time (TT) between problematic gaming and pathological gambling, which varies significantly across patients, may pbkp_redict the disorder's severity. As only limited studies have investigated the factors implicated in the TT, the current study set out to identify its pbkp_redictors and their relationships with GD severity. Methods: Correlation were performed in 725 male GD patients to identify factors associated to TT and GD severity, including: age of onset of gambling behaviors, alcohol/drug use, personality traits and gambling preferences (i.e., strategic, non-strategic, and mixed). Then a regression analysis was performed to identify pbkp_redictors of TT to GD. Results: Longer TT correlated with higher GD severity, early age of onset of problematic gambling, substance use and a non-strategic gambling preference. Personality traits including low self-directedness, high novelty seeking, and low cooperativeness were also related with longer TT. The strongest associations with GD severity were substance use, and some of the personality traits (i.e., low self-directedness and cooperativeness, high harm avoidance and self-transcendence). Factors significantly pbkp_redicting longer transition to GD were older ages, low self-directedness, and non-strategic gambling. Conclusions: A clinical profile characterized by a longer TT and more severe GD symptoms pertains to older patients with low self-directedness, and preference for non-strategic gambling. Other relevant factors associated with this profile of patients included early age of onset problematic gambling, substance consumption, high novelty seeking and low cooperativeness.

Año de publicación:

2021

Keywords:

• personality traits
• Transition time
• Self-directedness
• gambling disorder
• substance use

Fuente:

scopus