published_or_final_version / Clinical Psychology / Doctoral / Doctor of Psychology

Despite growing recognition that impulsivity is associated with pathological gambling (PG), three methodological concerns continue to prevent a meaningful examination of how impulsivity is specifically associated with PG. First, the lack of studies specifically comparing PGs to less severe gamblers leaves the question of whether impulsivity was not also associated with less severe gamblers unexamined. Second, the inadequate control of confounding variables in most studies raises concerns about whether findings that impulsivity is associated with PG may be spurious. Third, many findings that impulsivity is associated with PG are based on unrelated definitions of impulsivity, and are therefore relatively uninformative. / The present series of studies is the first attempt to address all of these concerns at the same time. In terms of appropriate comparison groups, study 1 compared PGs to at-risk gamblers and social gamblers, and study 2 compared severe PGs to moderately severe PGs and social gamblers. In terms of adequate controls, both studies examined PGs who were not in treatment and representative in terms of comorbid drug use. In addition, both studies controlled for age, gender, education, socioeconomic status, psychiatric comorbidity, and general cognitive function. Study 2 furthermore controlled for depression, trait anxiety, aggression, and criminality. In terms of improving how impulsivity is examined, study 1 elaborated a neuroanatomically-based definition of impulsivity and examined how three hypothesized neuroanatomical components of impulsivity were associated with PG. In study 2, different operationalizations of impulsivity, based on the same definition of impulsivity, were examined regarding their association with PG. / Every measure that was directly related to the present definition of impulsivity was significantly associated with severe PGs, and only severe PGs, suggesting that severe PGs may comprise a distinct group of gamblers. Measures which were not directly related to this definition of impulsivity were not significantly different between severe PGs (or PGs in study 1) and less severe gamblers. Severe PGs performed as well or better than social gamblers on retention capacity and attention control measures of working memory. / In conclusion, the inability to inhibit inappropriate reward-seeking is argued to be a primary deficit of severe PGs in our sample.

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Lai Hiu Wai. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-72). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / List of Figures --- p.i / List of Tables --- p.ii / Chapter Chapter 1: --- Introduction to the Study --- p.1 / Introduction --- p.1 / Profiles of Attendees in Support Groups --- p.5 / Investigating Drop-out and Attendance in Support Groups --- p.6 / Psychological and Relational Factors affecting Relapse and Gambling Behaviors --- p.7 / Motivation to Change --- p.7 / Cognitive evaluation of change --- p.9 / Emotional Effect of the Rock-bottom Experience --- p.9 / Relationship Influence --- p.10 / Religious Coping --- p.12 / Chapter Chapter 2: --- Method --- p.14 / Participants --- p.14 / Demographics --- p.14 / Type of Gambling Activity --- p.15 / General Overview --- p.17 / Phase One --- p.18 / Demographics --- p.18 / Other Background Information --- p.18 / Gambling Behaviors --- p.18 / "Qualitative Session: ""Rock-bottom"" Experience" --- p.19 / Motivation to change --- p.19 / Pros and Cons of Changing --- p.20 / Negative Emotional Arousal --- p.20 / Emotional Social Support --- p.20 / Enabler and Helper Scale --- p.21 / "Religious, Spiritual, and Philosophical Beliefs" --- p.21 / Religious Observance --- p.22 / Higher Power Control --- p.23 / Phase Two --- p.23 / Participants --- p.23 / Self-stigma --- p.24 / Gambling Behaviors --- p.24 / Dropping Out Behaviors --- p.25 / Chapter Chapter 3: --- Results --- p.26 / Rock-bottom Experience --- p.26 / The Profile --- p.30 / Rock-bottom Typology --- p.34 / Correlations with Rock-bottom Experience --- p.35 / Those Staying Longer in the Support Group --- p.39 / "Descriptives about Gambling Outcome, Attendance and Drop Out" --- p.46 / Concept of What Gambling Activities to Quit --- p.47 / Predicting Relapse and Gambling Expenditures --- p.47 / Predicting Attendance and Drop Out --- p.49 / Role of Self-stigma --- p.49 / Chapter Chapter 4: --- Discussion --- p.51 / Insights about the Gender Imbalance --- p.51 / Importance of Social Influence for Chinese Gamblers --- p.53 / The Chinese Gamblers' Rock-bottom Experience --- p.54 / Insights from Attendance and Drop-outs --- p.55 / Protective and Hindering Individual Factors in Successful Control of Gambling --- p.57 / Self-stigmatization --- p.58 / Hurdles and Future Directions in Gambling Research --- p.59 / References --- p.62 / Appendix --- p.73