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Boredom proneness in pathological gambling
A Blaszczynski1, N McConaghy, A Frankova
1Department of Clinical Psychology, Westmead Hospital, Australia.
Psychological Reports
|August 1, 1990
Summary
Pathological gamblers experience higher levels of boredom and depression. These findings suggest distinct subtypes of pathological gamblers may exist, characterized by boredom, depression, or a combination of both.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Psychiatry
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Pathological gambling is a complex disorder.
- Individuals with pathological gambling may seek stimulation to alleviate negative emotional states.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis that pathological gamblers seek stimulation to reduce under-aroused states of boredom and/or depression.
- To explore potential subtypes of pathological gamblers based on these emotional states.
Main Methods:
- Administered Beck Depression Inventory, Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale, and a Boredom Proneness Scale.
- Compared scores between 48 diagnosed pathological gamblers and 40 control patients.
- Utilized analyses of variance for statistical comparison.
Main Results:
- Pathological gamblers scored significantly higher on boredom proneness and depression measures compared to controls.
- The Boredom Proneness Scale and Zuckerman Boredom Susceptibility subscale measured different dimensions.
- Evidence suggests three potential subtypes of pathological gamblers: boredom-dominant, depression-dominant, and mixed boredom-depression.
Conclusions:
- Pathological gambling may be linked to underlying states of boredom and/or depression.
- The findings support the existence of distinct subtypes within the pathological gambling population.
- Further research is warranted to explore these subtypes and their implications for treatment.