TY - JOUR
T1 - Gambling and impulsivity traits: A recipe for criminal behavior?
AU - Mestre-Bach, Gemma
AU - Steward, Trevor
AU - Granero, Roser
AU - Fernández-Aranda, Fernando
AU - Talón-Navarro, María Teresa
AU - Cuquerella, àngel
AU - Baño, Marta
AU - Moragas, Laura
AU - del Pino-Gutiérrez, Amparo
AU - Aymamí, Neus
AU - Gómez-Peña, Mónica
AU - Mallorquí-Bagué, Núria
AU - Vintró-Alcaraz, Cristina
AU - Magaña, Pablo
AU - Menchón, José Manuel
AU - Jiménez-Murcia, Susana
PY - 2018/1/29
Y1 - 2018/1/29
N2 - © 2018 Mestre-Bach, Steward, Granero, Fernández-Aranda, Talón-Navarro, Cuquerella, Baño, Moragas, del Pino-Gutiérrez, Aymamí, Gómez-Peña, Mallorquí-Bagué, Vintró-Alcaraz, Magaña, Menchón and Jiménez-Murcia. Gambling disorder (GD) is a psychiatric condition that was recently recategorized as a non-substance-related addiction in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders. Criminal activity is commonly associated with gambling; however, few empirical studies to date have examined sociodemographic and psychological variables in this population. In this study, we explored criminal behavior history in a sample of consecutively recruited treatment-seeking gamblers (n = 382) and compared subjects with a history of illegal acts (n = 103, 26.9%) to those with no criminal record (n = 279, 73.1%). Impulsivity and personality traits were specifically explored, along with other gambling-related severity factors. We found that gamblers who engaged in illegal activity were more likely to endorse high levels of urgency (i.e., the tendency to act out when experiencing heightened emotional states) and increased lack of premeditation. Gamblers with a history of criminal behavior also had greater GD severity levels and gambling-related debts. Additionally, these gamblers reported lower levels of self-directedness, which is characterized by difficulty in establishing and redirecting behavior toward one's goals. Likewise, gamblers who had conducted criminal acts showed a tendency to engage in greater risk-taking behavior. These results shed new light on this understudied population and provide insights for developing targeted harm-prevention interventions and treatment protocols.
AB - © 2018 Mestre-Bach, Steward, Granero, Fernández-Aranda, Talón-Navarro, Cuquerella, Baño, Moragas, del Pino-Gutiérrez, Aymamí, Gómez-Peña, Mallorquí-Bagué, Vintró-Alcaraz, Magaña, Menchón and Jiménez-Murcia. Gambling disorder (GD) is a psychiatric condition that was recently recategorized as a non-substance-related addiction in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders. Criminal activity is commonly associated with gambling; however, few empirical studies to date have examined sociodemographic and psychological variables in this population. In this study, we explored criminal behavior history in a sample of consecutively recruited treatment-seeking gamblers (n = 382) and compared subjects with a history of illegal acts (n = 103, 26.9%) to those with no criminal record (n = 279, 73.1%). Impulsivity and personality traits were specifically explored, along with other gambling-related severity factors. We found that gamblers who engaged in illegal activity were more likely to endorse high levels of urgency (i.e., the tendency to act out when experiencing heightened emotional states) and increased lack of premeditation. Gamblers with a history of criminal behavior also had greater GD severity levels and gambling-related debts. Additionally, these gamblers reported lower levels of self-directedness, which is characterized by difficulty in establishing and redirecting behavior toward one's goals. Likewise, gamblers who had conducted criminal acts showed a tendency to engage in greater risk-taking behavior. These results shed new light on this understudied population and provide insights for developing targeted harm-prevention interventions and treatment protocols.
KW - Criminal behavior
KW - Gambling disorder
KW - Impulsivity
KW - Psychopathology
KW - Risk factors
U2 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00006
DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00006
M3 - Article
C2 - 29434553
VL - 9
IS - JAN
M1 - 6
ER -