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Most disordered gamblers fail to take the necessary action to change their behavior. When action is taken, it is typically done under self-direction. Yet, little is known about what motivates gamblers to engage in self-directed change as researchers have focused almost exclusively on barriers to treatment seeking. Herein, we tested whether self-discontinuity (i.e., the notion that the self has undergone fundamental changes as a result of one's gambling) predicts self-directed change among gamblers experiencing sub-clinical levels of disordered gambling. Further, we tested whether this relationship would hold when controlling for feelings of shame and guilt about one's gambling as well as self-stigma as a disordered gambler (i.e., known barriers to change). To this end, 195 gamblers from the community completed a questionnaire battery that contained the variables of interest. Six months later, participants were re-contacted to assess whether they engaged in self-directed change. As hypothesized, the likelihood that self-directed change was attempted increased to the extent participants reported feeling self-discontinuous - an effect that remained significant when controlling for shame, guilt, and self-stigma. Results suggest that heightening the awareness that the gambling has fundamentally changed the self increases the likelihood of gamblers taking action to change their disordered gambling behaviors., (Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Aims: The purpose of this study was to test the effect of gambling goals (i.e., gambling achievement-orientation) on chasing behavior (i.e., decision to chase, chasing spins) over and above known antecedents (e.g., problem gambling severity, winning money motivations, approach/avoidance motivation)., Methods: Young adult gamblers (N=121) were provided $20 and invited to use those funds on a slot machine situated in an immersive virtual reality casino. Unbeknownst to participants, outcomes were manipulated such that a nominal amount of money was either won or lost (depending on experimental condition) after 30 spins. Before the 31st spin, participants were asked if they wished to continue play. If they agreed, all successive spin outcomes were a loss. This permitted an assessment of what factors influence a player's: (1) decision to chase and (2) the number of chasing spins played in the face of loss., Results: Almost all participants (n=95, 78.5%) screened positive for problem gambling symptoms. The majority of gamblers decided to chase (n=67, 55.4%). In bivariate analyses, higher gambling goal and problem gambling severity scores (but not approach/avoidance nor 'loss/win' condition) were positively related to both forms of chasing. Gamblers 'motivated to win money' were more likely to decide to chase. In multivariate analyses, higher gambling goals best accounted for both forms of chasing independent of known antecedents., Conclusions: This study provides the first evidence that gambling goals can influence chasing. Implications for shaping responsible gambling approaches to be more consistent with motivations for play are discussed., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The current research examined whether alcohol consumption exacerbates suicidal ideations among gamblers in the general population. While prior research suggests problem gambling severity and excessive alcohol consumption are unique predictors of suicidal behaviors, the extant literature as almost exclusively focused on gamblers in treatment. This represents a significant gap in the literature as less than 10% of gamblers seek treatment. Furthermore, gamblers in treatment are not representative of gamblers in the general population, precluding a simple generalization of research findings. We address this gap using data obtained from the Canadian Community Health Survey (Cycle 4.1)--a cross-sectional national survey that assesses health-related information among the Canadian population. To this end, we conducted a moderation analysis with problem gambling severity as the independent variable, weekly alcohol consumption as the moderator variable and suicidal ideations (in the past 12 months) as the dependent variable. The results found that alcohol consumption alone did not reliably predict suicidal ideation among gamblers who did not gamble problematically. However, as predicted, the odds of suicidal ideation were greatest among problem gamblers who frequently consumed alcohol. Thus, it may behoove policy makers to re-visit the availability of alcohol in gambling venues. Moreover, responsible gambling-oriented education initiatives may be advanced by informing gamblers about the increased risk of suicidal ideations when problematic gambling is combined with frequent alcohol consumption.