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Relationship between pathological gambling, alexithymia, and gambling type
Author(s) -
Bonnaire Céline,
Barrault Servane,
Aïte Ania,
Cassotti Mathieu,
Moutier Sylvain,
Varescon Isabelle
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the american journal on addictions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.997
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1521-0391
pISSN - 1055-0496
DOI - 10.1111/ajad.12506
Subject(s) - alexithymia , feeling , pathological , psychology , gambling disorder , depression (economics) , clinical psychology , addiction , psychiatry , social psychology , medicine , economics , macroeconomics
Background and Objectives The aim of this study is to see if: (i) alexithymia is associated with PG and with the severity of gambling behavior; (ii) alexithymia is associated with strategic and non‐strategic gambling. Methods Two hundred and twenty‐six gamblers were recruited in different gambling locations. First, pathological gamblers (PGs) ( n = 106) were compared to non‐pathological gamblers (NPGs) ( n = 120). Second, strategic gamblers ( n = 92) were compared to non‐strategic gamblers ( n = 96). Results After controlling for being or not depressed, PGs have significantly higher alexithymia scores. Alexithymia is positively correlated to the intensity of gambling behavior and associated with PG: being alexithymic (OR = 4.21, SEB = .32, p < .001), “difficulty identifying feelings” (OR = 1.07, SEB = .03, p = .038), and “externally‐oriented thinking” (OR = 1.07, SEB = .03, p = .026) factors. Nevertheless, while alexithymia is associated with PG in strategic gamblers (being alexithymic (OR = 6.80, SEB = .50 p < .001) and “difficulty identifying feelings” (OR = 1.12, SEB = .05 p = .026) factor), this is not the case in non‐strategic gamblers. In the latter, only depression is associated with PG (OR = 3.43, SEB = .50 p = .013). Discussion and Conclusion The results highlight the importance of taking into account the gambling type in the relationship between alexithymia, depression, and PG. Scientific Significance In non‐strategic PGs, specific therapies targeting depression could be appropriate, while for strategic PGs, specific psychotherapeutic techniques like body‐centered psychotherapy could help them to differentiate feelings from bodily sensations. (Am J Addict 2017;26:152–160)