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Behavioral Activation and Inhibition, Negative Affect, and Gambling Severity in a Sample of Young Adult College Students

Overview of attention for article published in Journal of Gambling Studies, September 2011
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Title
Behavioral Activation and Inhibition, Negative Affect, and Gambling Severity in a Sample of Young Adult College Students
Published in
Journal of Gambling Studies, September 2011
DOI 10.1007/s10899-011-9273-x
Pubmed ID
Authors

John Atkinson, Carla Sharp, Joy Schmitz, Ilya Yaroslavsky

Abstract

The prevalence of pathological gambling among college students is increasing. Few studies have directly examined the relation between reward processing and gambling severity while concurrently examining the effects of co-occurring negative affect in this at risk population. This study used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) techniques to analyze results from an online survey of 352 female and 96 male students age 18-25. Participants completed measures of past year gambling behavior and severity of gambling problems using the Canadian Problem Gambling Index and the Problem Gambling Severity Index. Negative affect and reward processing were measured by the 21-item version of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales and the Behavioral Inhibition System and Behavioral Activation System (BIS/BAS) scales, respectively. Thirty-five percent of participants reported gambling in the previous 12 months, and 11% had gambling severity scores indicative of "moderate-risk" or "problem gambling." Gambling severity was associated with negative affect. Negative affect, in turn, was correlated with the unitary BIS scale and inversely associated with the BAS reward responsiveness scale. Reward responsiveness was also inversely associated with gambling severity. In the SEM models, the association between reward responsiveness and gambling severity was mediated by negative affect among males but not among females. Potential explanations for these findings and their implications for addressing problem gambling are discussed.

Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 126 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Spain 1 <1%
Denmark 1 <1%
Unknown 124 98%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Ph. D. Student 20 16%
Student > Master 19 15%
Researcher 15 12%
Student > Bachelor 13 10%
Student > Doctoral Student 9 7%
Other 23 18%
Unknown 27 21%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Psychology 51 40%
Medicine and Dentistry 12 10%
Social Sciences 8 6%
Nursing and Health Professions 5 4%
Neuroscience 5 4%
Other 11 9%
Unknown 34 27%