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Contemporary issues and future directions for research into pathological gambling
1School of Psychology, University of Western Sydney, NSW, Australia. m.dickerson@uws.edu.au
Addiction (Abingdon, England)
|November 25, 2000
Summary
Research on pathological gambling should shift from a mental disorder model to a focus on subjective control. This approach offers a clearer path to understanding gambling behavior and developing effective interventions.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Behavioral Science
- Addiction Studies
Background:
- Recent research on gambling predominantly uses a mental disorder model for pathological gambling.
- This model faces challenges due to diagnostic heterogeneity, complicating the identification of independent variables.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose an alternative research direction focusing on subjective control over gambling behavior.
- To address conceptual and methodological issues within the current mental disorder model of pathological gambling.
Main Methods:
- Critically examining the mental disorder model of pathological gambling.
- Presenting a schema to illustrate the advantages and complexities of using self-control as a dependent variable.
Main Results:
- The heterogeneity of pathological gambling diagnosis hinders research on independent variables.
- A self-control model offers a focused approach, potentially enabling prospective studies in real gambling environments.
Conclusions:
- Shifting focus to self-control in gambling behavior research can enhance clarity and theoretical integration with mainstream psychology.
- Overcoming conceptual challenges in measuring self-control is feasible, drawing parallels with successful research on addictive behaviors.