This study used the D2-preferring dopamine antagonist, haloperidol (3mg) and D1-D2 antagonist, fluphenazine (3mg) to investigate the roles of D1 and D2 receptors in d-amphetamine (20-mg) reinforcement in humans with (9 M; 7 F) and without (12 M; 4 F) an addictive disorder, in a placebo-controlled, between-within counterbalanced design. To preclude neurotoxicity, pathological gamblers served to evaluate effects of addiction status. Incentive motivation (e.g., Desire to Gamble), hedonic impact (e.g., Liking) and risky decision-making were assessed. Haloperidol reduced Desire to Gamble in controls, whereas fluphenazine reduced Desire in gamblers. Both antagonists reduced hedonic impact in both groups, with fluphenazine exhibiting stronger effects in gamblers. Both antagonists decreased risky decisions in controls but increased risky decisions in gamblers. Results suggest that D1 mediates amphetamine-induced motivation to gamble; D2 mediates amphetamine’s hedonic effects; D1 function is deficient in gamblers; and D2 blockade may reverse a restorative effect of amphetamine in addicted individuals.

This study used an ecological perspective to identify pathological gambling (PG) risk and protective factors, nonclinical resources, and prevention strategies based on the perceptions of Georgia stakeholders. With an ecological perspective, human behavior is perceived as an outcome of the interaction between the individual and various factors in their social environment. The ecological perspective is especially suitable for examining the higher PG prevalence among ethnic minority groups since these populations have been documented as encountering greater exposure to PG social and environmental risk factors (Smedley & Syme, 2000). To assess prevention needs, data were obtained from a 2008 needs assessment where diverse perspectives were collected through semi structured focus groups and interviews. A qualitative approach was used to address the study's aims. Grounded theory was used to guide the data analysis. Findings indicated that community perceptions of risk and protective factors, nonclinical resources, and prevention strategies were present at multiple levels of analyses. Furthermore, data trends also indicated that charitable gambling and other social norms should be considered in prevention.

Gambling becomes a source of difficulties of varying severity for some individuals whereas it is a positive experience for most of other people. Although gambling continues to be an entertaining activity for the majority of gambling individuals, prevalence rates suggest that pathological gambling is not low compared to other types of diagnosis. Most of the data with respect to gambling is from Western gambling literature, whereas research investigating the associated features of problem and pathological gamblers are very limited in the Turkish sample. The present study aimed to adapt two gambling-related instruments into Turkish and subsequently to examine the contributory roles of gambling participation, personality, affect, cognition, and motives of Turkish gamblers on gambling severity and gambling-related harm. The present study sample consisted of 357 males who were gambling in the sports and horse-races betting terminals. The findings pointed out it is important to conduct gambling research with Turkish samples considering the gambling severity and harm scores of the participants. The Turkish versions of Gambling-Related Cognitions Scale and Gambling Motives Scale showed promising psychometric properties with respect to their reliability and validity analyses. Besides, relatively higher negative affect, neuroticism, gambling-related cognitions, avoidance motive, and gambling participation were found to be associates of probable pathological gambling among Turkish regular gambling individuals. Moreover, the relationships of gambling cognitions / motives and gambling severity were mediated by the gambling participation. The main findings and related findings of the present study together with their implications are reported and discussed within the relevant gambling literature.

This study has endeavored to discover the pertinent characteristics associated with sports gambling. Three variables appear to be especially prominent in the literature concerning gambling. Chasing one's losses is a gambling specific behavior that has been linked to pathological gambling (Lesieur, 1984). When gambler's chase their losses, they attempt to win back previously lost wagers with future gambles. In addition, previous research has focused on both the cognitive and decision making processes associated with gambling (Kahneman & Tversky, 1978; Langer, 1975). I have hypothesized that the manner in which cognitive processes, decision making, and chasing one's losses interact is a primary variable that contributes to pathological gambling. An additional hypothesis concerns the manner in which sports knowledge affects gambling behavior. The research described in this dissertation has attempted to examine the relevant cognitive and decision making processes associated with pathological gambling. Subjects engaged in gambling simulation over a six week period of time. This simulation replicated real-world gambling with the exception that money could not be lost. The top three winners were paid a percentage of their earnings in order to help insure internal validity. Results indicate that subjects with a high degree of sports knowledge gambled at a higher level and lost a greater amount of wagers than subjects with a low degree of sports knowledge. Implications associated with this include the possibility that individuals utilize knowledge as way to discount and distort statistical probabilities associated with gambling. In this study, cognition processes and decision making were not related to gambling outcomes. / text

This study sought to determine the roles of D1 and D2 receptors in mediating gambling reinforcement in pathological gamblers and controls (n=24/group), and the influence of reward novelty on these effects. Subjects received D2 antagonist, haloperidol (3mg), or D1-D2 antagonist, fluphenazine (3mg) in a placebo-controlled, counterbalanced, two-session design. Incentive motivation and hedonic impact were assessed before and after a 15-min slot machine game. Haloperidol tended to increase pre-game motivation but reduce the priming effect of the slot machine, while fluphenazine increased positive mood ratings but reduced motivation to gamble. Haloperidol effects were stronger when it was received on the first session, while fluphenazine had stronger effects after prior drug-free exposure. Results suggest D1 signaling is central to reward expectancy and motivation to gamble, and that moderate stimulation increases positive affect while reducing motivation to gamble. D1 blockade may also enhance reinforcement of a familiar task by interfering with reward expectancy.

This study sought to determine the roles of D1 and D2 receptors in mediating gambling reinforcement in pathological gamblers and controls (n=24/group), and the influence of reward novelty on these effects. Subjects received D2 antagonist, haloperidol (3mg), or D1-D2 antagonist, fluphenazine (3mg) in a placebo-controlled, counterbalanced, two-session design. Incentive motivation and hedonic impact were assessed before and after a 15-min slot machine game. Haloperidol tended to increase pre-game motivation but reduce the priming effect of the slot machine, while fluphenazine increased positive mood ratings but reduced motivation to gamble. Haloperidol effects were stronger when it was received on the first session, while fluphenazine had stronger effects after prior drug-free exposure. Results suggest D1 signaling is central to reward expectancy and motivation to gamble, and that moderate stimulation increases positive affect while reducing motivation to gamble. D1 blockade may also enhance reinforcement of a familiar task by interfering with reward expectancy.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:28:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2008-05-12Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:15:48Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 bottura_hml_me_rcla.pdf: 185002 bytes, checksum: ec0a89929a3e7020ae1c78e1bcaa8e23 (MD5) / Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) / Jogo Patológico é um transtorno psiquiátrico classificado entre os transtornos do controle do impulso, contudo sua caracterização o aproxima das dependências químicas, sendo tratado como uma dependência comportamental. O jogador patológico apresenta envolvimento progressivo com jogos de azar, perda de controle sobre as apostas, evoluindo com sério comprometimento sócio-familiar e comorbidades psiquiátricas. Como nas dependências, a Avidez ou Fissura é importante fator nas recaídas e dificulta a recuperação. A atividade física já se mostrou eficiente na promoção de saúde e também se mostra importante na melhora de sintomas de depressão e ansiedade. Estudos anteriores mostraram que a fissura pelo jogo é inversamente relacionada à expressão de afetos positivos. O exercício físico, por outro lado, tem sido relacionado ao aumento na expressão de afetos positivos. Neste trabalho, foram acompanhados oito indivíduos jogadores patológicos em tratamento ambulatorial padrão para os quais foi oferecido um programa de atividade física por trinta minutos, duas vezes por semana, durante três semanas. Os afetos positivos, afetos negativos e fissura por jogo foram avaliados antes e depois da atividade física. A atividade física foi significativa na redução da avidez e na melhora dos afetos negativos, aparecendo como uma promissora alternativa a ser somada às modalidades já existentes para o tratamento do Jogo Patológico / Pathological Gambling is a psychiatric disorder classified as an impulse control disorder; however its description brings it closer to addictions, being referred as a behavioral addiction. The pathological gambler presents a progressive involvement with gambling, loss of control over betting, advancing to severe social and family compromise and psychiatric comorbidities. Similar to addictions, urges or cravings are an important factor in relapses, hampering recovery. Physical activity has shown effectiveness in promoting health and improvement from depression and anxiety. Previous studies have shown that gambling craving is inversely related to the expression of positive affects. Conversely, physical exercise has been related to increase on the expression of positive affects. In this work, eight pathological gamblers under regular outpatient treatment were invited for a physical activity program for thirty minutes, twice a week, for three weeks. Positive and negative affectivity and gambling craving were assessed prior to and after physical exercise. Physical activity significantly reduced craving and improved negative affectivity, seeming a promising alternative to be added two previous modalities of treatment for Pathological Gambling

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o perfil sócio-demográfico, comportamento de jogo e variáveis associadas nos jogadores patológicos idosos. Realizou-se uma entrevista semi-estruturada com 586 pacientes que procuraram tratamento específico para jogo. Jogadores idosos (51) comparados com os adultos (535) apresentam características sociais típicas da idade que podem deixá-los vulneráveis ao jogo. Idosos começam a jogar mais tarde, desenvolvem mais lentamente a doença e apresentam menor gravidade do quadro clínico o que sugere um melhor prognóstico. Nos jogadores idosos existem dois subgrupos: os de início de jogo precoce ou início tardio. Os de início precoce começaram a jogar no início da vida adulta e são em sua maioria homens. Jogadores patológicos idosos necessitam de abordagens específicas de ajuda / The objective of this study was evaluate the social-demographic profile, gambling behavior and associated variables of elderly pathological gamblers. A half-structuralized interview with 586 patients, who had sought specific treatment for gambling, was done. Aged gamblers (51) compared with adults (53) present typical social characteristics of ageing that may make them vulnerable to gamble. They start to gamble later, develop the disease much more slowly and present lower severity of clinical features suggesting a better prognosis. There are two groups concerning aged gamblers: early or later onset of gambling. Early onset start gamble at the beginning of adult life and they are most likely to be male. The elderly pathological gamblers need specific boarding of aid and suggest one better prognostic

This thesis examines gambling as one of the causes of poverty in households. Gambling is very widespread in Czech republic because of outdated legislation governing gambling. Higher availability of gambling causes higher incidence of pathological gambling, which is the worst type of gambling. Negative impacts of pathological gambling on society are described based on results of foreign empirical studies and statistics from the Czech gambling market. The following topic is the legislative regulation of gambling in Czech republic and abroad. Two approachs of regulation are described in detail and compared to each other. These are liberal approach and strict approach to the regulation of gambling. The practical part analyzes economic indicators of the Czech gambling market, approach of Czech municipalities to the regulation and upcoming drafts of mendments to the Lottery Act which should be valid in 2016 and 2017. The results of the analysis indicate that the current drafts of the new regulation do not effectively address the sissues of pathological gambling in Czech republic. In the conclusion of the thesis there are some recommendations which should be included in a new regulation. In this thesis, data published by the Ministry of Finance and the Department of Health Information from the period 2003 - 2013, is used. There are also used data published by various international bodies.

The first of January 2018 an amendment of the Socialtjänstlag accrued stating that municipalities now have to provide care and treatment for individuals with a pathological gambling disorder. However in the spring of 2017 only 17 percent of the municipalities offered a specific treatment for gambling disorder. An assumed aftermath of the amendment is an increase of the workload for current gambling therapists and furthermore a rise in educating new additional gambling therapists. The aim of this study is to analyze what knowledge and which models of operation are fundamental factors that are required in managing a gambling treatment. The studies selection consisted of a total of five currently active gambling therapists employed in Region Skåne and Malmö Stad. The empirical material has been collected through thematic semi-structured interviews that took about 60 minutes each. Then a thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews was performed. The result in this study showed that a gambling therapist should have knowledge concerning risk- and protective factors in relation to the gambling disorder, this to prevent the client from a possible relapse and to make the client aware about the risk factors directly connected to the gambling game-layout. Furthermore the results showed that one of the fundamental models of operation is to normalize the addiction to the client and raise the clients awareness of the patterns of behavior and consequences regarding the gambling. One model of operation that is also found to be fundamental is for the gambling therapist to have a pedagogical approach towards the client. Thus for the results of this study and former research have shown that people with a gambling disorder have an impaired metacognitive capability regarding their decisions.