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. 2024 Dec;40(4):2077-2091.
doi: 10.1007/s10899-024-10322-6. Epub 2024 Jun 4.

Problematic Gambling Behavior in a Sample of Gamblers: The Role of Alexithymia, Dissociation Features, and External Locus of Control

Alessio Gori  1   2 , Eleonora Topino  3
Affiliations

Problematic Gambling Behavior in a Sample of Gamblers: The Role of Alexithymia, Dissociation Features, and External Locus of Control

Alessio Gori et al. J Gambl Stud. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

Gambling disorder is a severe condition that significantly compromises the lives of those affected. In light of this clinical relevance, the literature on the antecedents of this form of addiction is constant and continually evolving. Consistently with this framework, the present research aimed at investigating the role of some risk factors in gambling disorder, with a specific focus on alexithymia, dissociation, and locus of control. The research involved a sample of 290 participants (183 males and 107 females; Mage = 34.43, SD = 14.65) who practice gambling at least occasionally. They completed an online survey including the South Oaks Gambling Screen, Twenty-Items Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Dissociative Experience Scale-II, and Locus of Control of Behavior. ANOVA and a moderated-mediation model were implemented to analyse the collected data. Results showed that 19.0% of the participants were At Risk and Problem Gamblers, while 27.6% fell into the category of Problematic Gamblers. Problematic Gamblers showed significantly higher levels of alexithymia, dissociation, and external locus of control. Moreover, a significant association between alexithymia and the severity of problematic gambling behaviour was found and was significantly mediated by absorption (a dissociation feature). Furthermore, the external locus of control significantly moderated this indirect effect. The role of gender as a covariate was also investigated. Such findings may offer further insights into the field of clinical research on gambling disorder and may provide useful information for effective clinical practice.

Keywords: Absorption; Alexithymia; Behavioural addictions; Dissociation; Gambling disorder; Locus of control.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations Ethical Approval All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Ethical Committee of the Integrated Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Institute (IPPI) (IPPI; ethical approval number 008/2023) and with Declaration of Helsinki of 1975, revised in 2013. Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study. Consent to Participate Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Statistical (A) and conceptual (B) forms of the moderated mediation model. Note *** p < 0.001; ** p < 0.01; * p < 0.05
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Graphic representation of the moderated-moderation effect
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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