Tempting fate: Chasing and maladaptive personality traits in gambling behavior

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Chasing losses is a key characteristic of problematic gambling.
• Understanding the personality correlates of chasing is crucial for gambling disorder interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between chasing behavior and maladaptive personality traits in habitual gamblers.
• To determine if personality differences exist between gamblers who chase losses and those who do not.

Main Methods:

• 126 habitual gamblers completed personality (PID-5-BF), gambling severity (SOGS), and alcohol consumption (AUDIT) assessments.
• A computerized task assessed chasing behavior under control and loss conditions.
• Correlational, ANOVA, and regression analyses were used.

Main Results:

• Chasing decisions were strongly linked to the Disinhibition domain of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5-Brief Form (PID-5-BF).
• Chasing proneness correlated with Disinhibition, Detachment, and Psychoticism domains.
• Chasers exhibited higher scores on maladaptive personality traits than non-chasers, even after controlling for covariates.

Conclusions:

• Chasers and non-chasers represent distinct subtypes of gamblers.
• Maladaptive personality traits are significantly associated with chasing behavior in gambling disorder.
• Clinical interventions for gambling disorder should consider the role of chasing and associated personality factors.