Chasing the loss: Factors that predict within- and between-session chasing in gamblers
Abstract
One of the hallmark features of disordered gambling is ‘chasing’, defined as an urge to continue playing within a single gaming session or come back at another time to attempt to recover lost money. To date, limited research has been conducted to delineate specific predictors of increased chasing behaviour in both disordered and social gamblers. The present study attempted to answer two questions: 1) which personality, physiological, and cognitive variables predict increased within- and between- session chasing behaviour in disordered and social gamblers? 2) In what ways do disordered and social gamblers differ with regard to predictors of chasing? 111 participants recruited in the community, divided into social and disordered gamblers, gambled on a realistic slot machine with predetermined outcomes. Variables relating to disordered gambling severity, dissociation, emotional vulnerability, cognitive distortions, impulsivity, substance use, and craving for gambling and other substances were assessed as predictors of between- and within-session chasing. Results support the association of chasing behaviour with dissociation, gambling problem severity, emotional vulnerability, and impulsivity. However, inconsistencies in some results point to difficulties in reliability of operationalizing chasing. The results also put in question the validity of using retrospective self-report to assess chasing. The overall findings support chasing as operating on a continuum of severity with social gamblers chasing in limited amounts and disordered gamblers chasing in greater amounts. In addition, qualitative feedback from participants challenges the utility of in-lab gambling as a proxy of real-world gambling conditions. Implications for research, policy and treatment of disordered gambling are discussed and recommendations for future research are provided.
Description
Keywords
Psychology, Psychology--Clinical
Citation
Yakovenko, I. (2017). Chasing the loss: Factors that predict within- and between-session chasing in gamblers (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/25310