Calhoun Cardiology Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT 06030-3944, USA.
J Abnorm Psychol. 2012 Feb;121(1):151-9. doi: 10.1037/a0024782. Epub 2011 Aug 15.
Individuals with addictive disorders, including substance abusers and pathological gamblers, discount or devalue rewards delayed in time more than controls. Theoretically, preference for probabilistic rewards is directly related to gambling, but limited empirical research has examined probabilistic discounting in individuals with pathological gambling. This study evaluated probability and delay discounting in treatment-seeking pathological gamblers and their association with gambling treatment outcomes during and after treatment. At time of treatment entry, 226 pathological gamblers completed probability and delay discounting tasks. They were then randomized to one of three treatment conditions, and gambling behavior was measured throughout treatment and at a 1-year follow-up assessment. After controlling for possibly confounding variables and treatment condition, more shallow probability discounting was associated with greater reductions in amounts wagered during treatment and likelihood of gambling abstinence at the end of treatment and throughout the follow-up period. No associations were noted between delay discounting and gambling treatment outcomes. These data suggest that probability discounting may be an important construct in understanding pathological gambling and its treatment.
具有成瘾障碍的个体，包括药物滥用者和病态赌徒，对时间延迟的奖励折扣程度高于对照组。从理论上讲，对概率奖励的偏好与赌博直接相关，但有限的实证研究已经检查了病态赌博个体的概率折扣。本研究评估了寻求治疗的病态赌徒的概率和延迟折扣，并在治疗期间和治疗后评估了它们与赌博治疗结果的关系。在治疗开始时，226 名病态赌徒完成了概率和延迟折扣任务。然后，他们被随机分配到三种治疗条件之一，并在治疗期间和 1 年随访评估期间测量赌博行为。在控制了可能的混杂变量和治疗条件后，更浅的概率折扣与治疗期间下注金额的减少以及治疗结束时和随访期间的赌博戒除率呈正相关。在延迟折扣和赌博治疗结果之间没有发现关联。这些数据表明，概率折扣可能是理解病态赌博及其治疗的一个重要结构。
