Andrade Leonardo F, Petry Nancy M
Contingency Management, University of Connecticut School of Medicine.
Department of Medicine, Calhoun Cardiology Center, University of Connecticut Health Center.
Psychol Addict Behav. 2014 Jun;28(2):599-606. doi: 10.1037/a0036153.
Impulsivity is a core process underlying addictive behaviors, including nonpharmacological addictive behaviors such as problem gambling. Although considerable attention has been given to the investigation of delay discounting within the context of addiction-related behaviors, relatively little research has examined the relationship between discounting and individual variables, such as race/ethnicity. The purpose of this study was to compare discounting rates in the three most prevalent racial/ethnic groups in the United States: Whites, African Americans, and Hispanics. The study was conducted with 315 problem gamblers. Participants completed a delay-discounting questionnaire involving choices between a smaller amount of money delivered immediately and a larger amount delivered later. A hyperbolic discounting function estimated delay-discounting rates based on participants' indifference points obtained via the questionnaires. Results showed significant effects of race/ethnicity on delay discounting. White gamblers discounted delayed money at lower rates than African Americans and Hispanics, even after controlling for confounding variables. These data suggest that among individuals who develop problem gambling, Whites are less impulsive than African Americans and Hispanics, at least in terms of choosing between delayed and immediate reinforcers. These results have implications for evaluating the onset and treatment of addictive disorders from a health-disparities perspective.
冲动性是成瘾行为的核心过程，包括问题赌博等非药物成瘾行为。尽管在成瘾相关行为的背景下，延迟折扣的研究受到了相当多的关注，但相对较少的研究考察了折扣与种族等个体变量之间的关系。本研究的目的是比较美国最普遍的三个种族/族裔群体（白人、非裔美国人和西班牙裔）的折扣率。该研究对315名问题赌徒进行。参与者完成了一份延迟折扣问卷，其中涉及在立即获得的较小金额和稍后获得的较大金额之间进行选择。一个双曲线折扣函数根据通过问卷获得的参与者无差异点来估计延迟折扣率。结果表明种族/族裔对延迟折扣有显著影响。即使在控制了混杂变量之后，白人赌徒对延迟金钱的折扣率也低于非裔美国人和西班牙裔。这些数据表明，在出现问题赌博的个体中，至少在延迟强化物和即时强化物之间进行选择时，白人比非裔美国人和西班牙裔的冲动性更低。这些结果对于从健康差异的角度评估成瘾性障碍的发病和治疗具有启示意义。
