Although childhood maltreatment has been established as a risk factor for the development of problematic gambling, there are significant omissions in the literature regarding the investigation of mediating mechanisms underlying this etiological relationship. The purpose of the current study was to examine altered self-capacities (i.e., relationship difficulties, identity disturbances, and affect dysregulation) and gambling motives as mediating mechanisms underlying the link between childhood maltreatment and gambling, in a sample of emerging adults recruited from the community. It was hypothesized that childhood maltreatment would lead to impairments in the aforementioned self-capacities, which would subsequently predict greater endorsement of gambling motives. In turn, gambling motives were hypothesized to predict increased gambling frequency and gambling problems. The results revealed a pattern wherein altered self-capacities mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and gambling motives. However, gambling motives were not observed to mediate the relationship between altered self-capacities and gambling frequency or gambling problems.

Pathological gambling is a serious disorder with lifetime prevalence between 1.1-3.5%. Evidence suggests commonalities in the neurochemical basis of pathological gambling and psychostimulant addiction. However, parallel effects of gambling and a stimulant drug have not been assessed in the same subjects. This study employed a cross-priming strategy in which 12 male pathological gamblers and 11 male controls were exposed to a 15-minute slot machine game and d-amphetamine (0.4 mg/kg). Subjective, cognitive, electrophysiological, and physiological responses were assessed. Gamblers reported greater desire to gamble after both reinforcers, when baseline motivation was controlled. Conversely, gamblers exhibited diminished cardiovascular response to amphetamine. Gamblers also exhibited decreased pre-pulse inhibition (impaired sensorimotor gating), and deficits on this index predicted greater post-amphetamine desire to gamble and decreased heart rate response to the dose. Results are consistent with possible dopaminergic sensitization in pathological gamblers, but also suggest that central noradrenergic receptor deficits contribute importantly to these effects.

Although childhood maltreatment has been established as a risk factor for the development of problematic gambling, there are significant omissions in the literature regarding the investigation of mediating mechanisms underlying this etiological relationship. The purpose of the current study was to examine altered self-capacities (i.e., relationship difficulties, identity disturbances, and affect dysregulation) and gambling motives as mediating mechanisms underlying the link between childhood maltreatment and gambling, in a sample of emerging adults recruited from the community. It was hypothesized that childhood maltreatment would lead to impairments in the aforementioned self-capacities, which would subsequently predict greater endorsement of gambling motives. In turn, gambling motives were hypothesized to predict increased gambling frequency and gambling problems. The results revealed a pattern wherein altered self-capacities mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and gambling motives. However, gambling motives were not observed to mediate the relationship between altered self-capacities and gambling frequency or gambling problems.

University of Macau / Faculty of Law

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Department of Economics

This experiment studied relapse by assessing the separate/combined effects of two instigators: alcohol cues and stress on the salience of alcohol/gambling target stimuli and inhibitory control in twelve male problem gamblers and twelve male comorbid drinker-gamblers. Our study day consisted of two test sessions. Subjects received alcohol (non-alcoholic beer) and/or stress (uncontrollable noise) in a counterbalanced method. Hypotheses were tested using computer-based tasks, including the modified Stroop, gambling-word Shift Task, and the conventional and modified Stop-Signal Tasks. Stimuli with incentive value divert attention (i.e., are salient) selectively based on their clinical relevance to the subject and the nature of the instigating factor – stress (expected negative reinforcement) vs. anticipation of alcohol (expected positive reinforcement). Results suggest that alcohol cues and stress have differing effects on incentive salience, and disinhibit behaviour in both pathological populations. These findings have the potential to facilitate treatment and improve understanding for relapse prevention in these subjects.

The role of gambling industry in Macao's economic development has become more and more important, and has been irreplaceable position. Therefore, this study examines the history of Macao's economic development as well as the history of the gambling industry development. It is found that the gambling industry to bring economic benefits to only part of local residents, but to bring many social cost for all local resident. Therefore, through the experience of Macao, when Taiwan open the casino required to concern economic, social advantages and disadvantages of the two levels in order to obtain the greatest benefits of our residents.

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

No description available.

The three reported studies examine the possible etiology of gambling behavior and its correlates in adolescents with respect to motivational factors, predisposing factors as assessed by personality, depression and risk-taking traits, and by testing Jacobs' (1986) General Theory of Addictions which specifies a path toward the development of an addiction. Furthermore, the validity of the Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking (AISS) (Arnett, 1994) as a sensitive measure for assessing risk-taking in adolescent gamblers is assessed. Findings offer support for the premise of an addictive personality with problem and pathological gamblers differing from the norm on several personality dimensions including Excitability, Conformity, Self-Discipline, and Cheerfulness as assessed by the High School Personality Questionnaire. Furthermore, this group of adolescent problem gamblers was characterized by depression, high risk-taking, and tendencies toward dissociation. Support for Jacobs' General Theory of Addictions was ascertained, and the AISS was found to be a useful instrument for evaluating risk-taking among adolescents as it pertains to gambling behavior.