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Does acute alcohol consumption increase risk-taking while gambling? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Tori L Horn1, James P Whelan1, Gregory T Weil2
1The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA.
Addiction (Abingdon, England)
|April 11, 2022
Summary
Acute alcohol consumption does not reliably alter risk-taking behaviors during gambling. Expectancy effects may play a role when non-alcoholic drinks are used as controls.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Alcohol consumption is prevalent in social and recreational settings, including gambling.
- Understanding the impact of alcohol on decision-making, particularly risk-taking, is crucial for public health and safety.
- Previous research has yielded mixed results regarding alcohol's effect on gambling-related risk-taking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and meta-analyze the effect of acute alcohol consumption on risk-taking during gambling.
- To investigate blood alcohol concentration as a moderator of this effect.
- To explore other potential moderators influencing the alcohol-risk-taking relationship in gambling.
Main Methods:
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of 20 articles comprising 47 comparisons.
- Boolean search strategy across PsycINFO, Web of Science, Medline, Cochrane Library, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.
- Analysis of standardized mean differences in risk-taking between alcohol and control (non-alcoholic or placebo) conditions using random-effects and mixed-effects models.
Main Results:
- The overall effect size (Hedges' g) for alcohol consumption on risk-taking in gambling was 0.03 (p=0.60), indicating no significant difference.
- Studies using non-alcoholic control drinks showed a larger effect size (g=0.30) compared to placebo controls (g=-0.03).
- No significant relationship was found between alcohol dose and risk-taking behavior.
Conclusions:
- Acute alcohol consumption does not have a reliable effect on risk-taking while gambling.
- The observed difference in effect sizes between non-alcoholic and placebo controls suggests potential expectancy effects.
- Findings align with existing animal research on alcohol and risk-taking.
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