Skip to main content

icrg_png_214_65.png

  • Home
  • About ICRG
    • Leadership
    • History
    • ICRG Staff
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Funding
    • Annual Reports
  • Research Center
    • Apply for ICRG Funding
    • Grant Review Criteria
    • Key Research Findings
    • ICRG-Funded Research
    • Research Library
    • Scientific Achievement Awards
  • Education
    • Conference
    • Continuing Education Hours
    • Webinars
    • Treatment Provider Workshops
    • College and Youth Gambling Programs
  • Discovery Project
  • Resources
    • Gambling and Health Series
    • Gambling and Public Health: A Guide for Policymakers
    • The WAGER
    • Monographs
    • Videos
    • Brief Biosocial Gambling Screen
    • Talking with Children About Gambling
    • White Papers
    • Helpful Links
  • Press Room
    • Press Releases
    • News Alerts
    • Media Kit
    • Testimony
  • Blog

You are here

Home » Blog

Feelings and Situations that Precede Gambling Relapse

by: NCRG staff | Apr 14, 2011

Why do so many people relapse when they are trying to stop gambling? It has been estimated that 50 to 75 percent of gamblers resume gambling after attempting to quit (N. M. Petry et al., 2006), but what are the thoughts, feelings and situations that precede these events? Researchers who study alcohol and drug abuse – disorders with similarly high rates of relapse –  have developed a questionnaire designed to answer these questions for their audiences. A recent study published in the journal Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology attempts to validate this same type of questionnaire for people with gambling disorders (Nancy M Petry, Rash, & Blanco, 2010). The new study attempts to extend and validate Petry’s previous work adapting the Inventory of Drinking Situations for gambling situations (called the Inventory of Gambling Situations, IGS).

The researchers gave the IGS to 283 people seeking treatment for alcohol and drug abuse who were also identified as problem or pathological gamblers. The IGS asked respondents how likely they were to gamble, on a 1 to 4 scale, in response to each of 47 different situations. The situations described the following types of scenarios:

-   Emotional situations: “When other people treated me unfairly”

-   Physical conditions: “When I would have trouble sleeping”

-   Thought cues:“When I would start thinking about all the money I owe”

 The researchers used statistical analysis to group similar questions together and to find out how much of the variance in gambling behavior was explained by each group of questions. The first group contained questions about negative emotions (e.g. “When I felt tense or nervous”) and explained 24.6 percent of the variation. The second group contained questions about positive emotions (e.g. “When I would be relaxed and wanted to have a good time”) and explained 15.2 percent of the variance in gambling behavior. The third group contained questions about gambling cues (e.g. “When I would see an advertisement about gambling”), and explained 9.5 percent of the variance. The final group contained questions about social situations (e.g. “When I was with friends and they were gambling”), and explained 8.3 percent of the variance.

All together, the IGS accounted for 57.6 percent of the variance in gambling behaviors found in the sample. This kind of information can be used by therapists to help clients identify what feelings and situations can lead to relapse. It is also possible that gamblers who are having problems, but have not yet progressed to a clinical gambling disorder, may be able to avoid more serious gambling problems by being aware of the feelings and situations that can trigger gambling behavior.

More information about the article is available on the website of the journal Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology. Do you have thoughts or questions about prevention and treatment of gambling disorders? Tell us in the Comments section below.

References

Petry, N. M., Ammerman, Y., Bohl, J., Doersch, A., Gay, H., Kadden, R., Molina, C., et al. (2006). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for pathological gamblers. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74(3), 555-67. doi:2006-08433-015 [pii] 10.1037/0022-006X.74.3.555

Petry, N. M., Rash, C. J., & Blanco, C. (2010). The Inventory of Gambling Situations in problem and pathological gamblers seeking alcohol and drug abuse treatment. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 18(6), 530-538. doi:10.1037/a0021718

Read More »
Tags:
  • betting
  • card games
  • casinos
  • comorbidity
  • disordered gambling
  • drinking
  • gambling
  • mental health
  • new research
  • questionnaire
  • stopping
  • treatment

Share This

Categories

  • Book Reviews
  • Conference on Gambling and Addiction
  • Continuing Education Opportunities
  • ICRG News
  • In the News
  • Interviews
  • Issues & Insights
  • Research Update
  • Responsible Gaming

Archive

  • July 2022  (1)
  • June 2022  (1)
  • May 2022  (1)
  • April 2022  (2)
  • March 2022  (2)
  • February 2022  (1)
  • December 2021  (1)
  • November 2021  (2)
  • October 2021  (1)
  • September 2021  (1)
more

Connect With Us

Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow Us on Slideshare Follow us on YouTube 

18 years of benefiting NCRG

21 years of benefiting the NCRG

Visit the CollegeGambling Webiste

Visit CollegeGambling.org

icrgtwitterlogo400px_1.jpg

 

© 2020 International Center for Responsible Gaming

Headquarters
900 Cummings Center
Suite 219-U
Beverly, MA 01915
Tel: 978-338-6610
Fax: 978-552-8452

E-mail: info@icrg.org

Privacy Policy | Terms of Use