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Researchers have raised concerns about mental health in elite athletes, including problem gambling, where research hitherto is scarce. While gambling has been assessed in the younger student-athlete population, neither gambling nor the recently recognized behavioral addiction of gaming disorder has been sufficiently addressed in the elite athlete population. The present systematic literature review aimed to summarize research knowledge on the prevalence and correlates of problem gambling and problem gaming in elite athletes. Research papers were searched systematically using the Scopus, PsycINFO, and PubMed/MEDLINE databases and evaluated following a PRISMA paradigm. For the elite athlete population, eight reports on problem gambling and one report on problem gaming were found. While at least five papers indicated an increased risk of problem gambling in elite athletes compared to the general population, one study from Australia indicated the opposite. Problem gambling was generally more common in male athletes. Knowledge of problem gaming prevalence is thus far limited. It is concluded that increased research in problem gambling and problem gaming in elite athletes is warranted.

Altres ajuts: Delegación del Gobierno para el Plan Nacional sobre Drogas (2019I47 and 2021I031). CIBER Fisiología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn) is an initiative of Intituto de Salud Carlos III. ZD's contribution was supported by the Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Ofce (KKP126835, K131635). The online version contains supplementary material available. Few studies have analyzed the clinical profle of treatment-seeking patients with the comorbid presence of schizophrenia (SCZ) and gambling disorder (GD), which warrants new research to assess the network structure of this complex mental condition. The aim of this study was to explore the organization of the symptoms and other clinical correlates of SCZ with GD. Network analysis was applied to a sample of N = 179 SCZ patients (age range: 19-70 years, mean=39.5, SD=9.9) who met clinical criteria for gambling disorder-related problems. Variables included in the network were the core GD symptoms according to the DSM-5, psychotic and paranoid ideation levels, global psychological distress, GD severity measures (debts and illegal behavior related with gambling), substances (tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs), and personality profle. The nodes with the highest authority in the network (variables of highest relevance) were personality traits and psychological distress. Four empirical modules/clusters were identifed, and linkage analysis identifed the nodes with the highest closeness (bridge nodes) to be novelty seeking and reward dependence (these traits facilitate the transition between the modules). Identifcation of the variables with the highest centrality/linkage can be particularly useful for developing precise management plans to prevent and treat SCZ with GD.

An important consequence of adoption of public health approaches in the field of gambling studies has been the increasing emphasis afforded to gambling harm. Reducing or eliminating harm has now become the overt stated mission of many government foundations and funding bodies. A by-product of these developments has been the gradual reduction of references to terms capturing the nature of the primary disorder (problem or pathological gambling or gambling disorder) in preference for what are considered to be more neutral or less ‘stigmatising’ terms (e.g. ‘people with gambling harm’). In this paper, we argue that this conflation of gambling harm with the disorder is misguided. Not only does it fail to acknowledge the validity of the disorder but it is also unjustified by evidence and may have unintended negative consequences for both people affected by gambling and the field more generally. In particular, we focus on the clinical and legal advantages of adherence to an individual-centred, pathology model of gambling disorder.

Gambling disorder not only affects those who suffer from it but also has consequences for their families. Considering such repercussions are often understudied, and the aim of the present study was to evaluate the main differences between family members of people with gambling disorder (GDFMs) and those with no relatives diagnosed with gambling disorder (non-GDFMs). The variables examined in the present study included emotion regulation, coping strategies, depression, and anxiety. The sample (N = 203) was divided into two groups. This comprised a clinical group (n = 89 participants, 43.8% of the sample), with 69.7% of women (Mage = 48.63, SD = 13.36), and a community sample (i.e., no gambling-related problems in their family; n = 114, representing 56.2% of the sample), containing 64% of women (Mage = 35.89, SD = 11.45). Results showed that GDFMs scored significantly higher than non-GDFMs (i) on anxiety and depression scales, (ii) on difficulties in emotion regulation, and (iii) on maladaptive coping strategies. Additionally, difficulties in emotion regulation and coping strategies correlated with anxiety and depression. Regression analyses showed that difficulties in emotion regulation and coping strategies predicted anxiety and depression for GDFMs. These findings highlight the importance of including family members as part of the target group in gambling disorder treatment protocols.

Over the last decade, many psychometric instruments have been developed that assess various online problematic behaviors. Despite the many scales assessing gambling disorder (and its equivalents), no instrument assessing the consequences of problematic online gambling currently exists. In order to assess the symptoms and consequences of online gambling disorder, the Gambling Symptom Assessment Scale (G-SAS) was modified and its psychometric properties were assessed using exploratory factor analysis. The data were collected from 326 undergraduate and graduate students from a large public Midwestern university in the USA. Results suggest that the newly developed Online Gambling Symptom Assessment Scale (OGSAS) is reliable and valid as regards assessing the symptoms of online gambling disorder.

Over the past decade, gambling has become a very popular activity across Europe including the growth of Internet gambling. Portugal is one of the few European countries where little research has been carried out. Given the lack of studies, a Portuguese sample (N = 1,599) was surveyed concerning their online and offline gambling habits. More specifically, the aim of this study was to identify and compare from the total sample, online pathological gamblers (PGON) (n = 171) and offline pathological gamblers' (PGOF) (n = 171) characteristics, and eventual risk factors for the development of problem gambling. Results demonstrated that PGON had different profiles compared to PGOF, although there were also similarities. Situational characteristics were much more significant for PGON than PGOF (e.g., availability, accessibility, affordability), but PGOF had higher scores than PGON on factors concerning individual characteristics (e.g., intensity of feelings while gambling, depression, suicidal ideation, etc.). Findings also showed differences concerning attitudes toward responsible gambling measures. The fact that situational characteristics are more attractive to online gamblers confirms differences between PGON and PGOF and suggests that this preferred attractiveness may enhance problem gambling potential. Further research is needed to better understand the interaction between Internet situational characteristics and the individual characteristics of gamblers, as well as the profile of the growing population of gamblers that uses both online and offline modes to gamble.

This study examined the structure of impulsivity within gambling disorder. A group of 51 men and 53 women with gambling disorder completed self-report and behavioral measures of impulsivity. Principal component analyses found two factors. The first was interpreted as measuring trait impulsivity. This factor correlated with problem gambling severity, presence of comorbid mental health and substance use disorders, history of brain injury, and was higher in Aboriginal participants. The second factor had high loadings on the self-reported sensation-seeking scales and the behavioural measures of response impulsivity. This factor correlated with overall gambling involvement but not with indicators of pathology. Higher scores were associated with younger age. These results are consistent with an evolving model of the etiology of disordered gambling that suggests that sensation-seeking is related to gambling involvement but that trait impulsivity and mental health struggles are associated with the development of gambling disorder.

Given the high prevalence of adolescent gambling involvement and disorder, this study adapted the revised version of the Inventory of Gambling Motives, Attitudes and Behaviors to an adolescent version (GMAB-A) with a cross-sectional survey of 809 Chinese high school students (41.6 % females, M age = 16.86, SD age = 1.36) in Macao, China. Confirmatory factor analyses generally supported the original factor structure. The GMAB-A consisted of six, four, and four factors in the motivational, attitudinal, and behavioral domains respectively after refinement. The factor scores were correlated with the criterion variables such as disordered gambling symptoms in the expected directions, and their reliabilities were satisfying. Our findings also suggest that the attitudinal subscales are applicable to non-gamblers. In addition to its application on research, the GMAB-A can be used as an enquiring tool for gambling cognitions and behaviors and thus facilitate devising intervention programs for adolescent gambling disorder.

The present study examined Internet gambling behavior in a sample of online gamblers. Participants (N = 563; 382 male; ages 18–over 65) were recruited from a banner placed in an online newsletter. Questionnaires were completed online and assessed demographic information, game-play patterns (e.g., frequency, duration, wagering), preferred type of play, and problem gambling (using the DSM-IV). In addition, participation in gambling-type games without money was also examined. Seventy-seven percent of respondents reported playing gambling-type games without money and 42% reported gambling on the Internet. Twenty-three percent of participants were identified as problem gamblers. Problem gamblers were significantly more likely than social gamblers to spend more time gambling per session, gamble alone, from school, or with a cell phone, gamble with more money, wager online while consuming alcohol or illicit drugs, and lose more money gambling online. These results hint at a disturbing and difficult relationship between the Internet and individuals with gambling problems.