Poole Julia C, Kim Hyoun S, Dobson Keith S, Hodgins David C
Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada.
Depression Research Laboratory, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada.
J Gambl Stud. 2017 Dec;33(4):1187-1200. doi: 10.1007/s10899-017-9680-8.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as sexual and physical abuse, have been established as risk factors for the development of disordered gambling. The underlying mechanism by which ACEs influence disordered gambling, however, remains unknown. The aims of the present research were to comprehensively investigate ten types of childhood adversity and their relationships to disordered gambling in adulthood, and to test whether emotion dysregulation mediated the relationship between ACEs and disordered gambling. A sample of community gamblers (N = 414) completed self-report measures of ACEs, emotion dysregulation, and gambling severity. Results revealed a significant association between all but one type (physical abuse) of ACEs and disordered gambling. Further, the results highlighted the cumulative impact of ACEs on gambling. Specifically, individuals who experienced three or more types of ACEs were more than three times as likely to report disordered gambling as compared to individuals with no history of childhood adversity. Importantly, as hypothesized, emotion dysregulation mediated the relationship between ACEs and disordered gambling. Findings from this research describe the association between ACEs and gambling and indicate a causal link between childhood adversity and disordered gambling. Results suggest that treatment initiatives may do well to address both ACEs and emotion dysregulation in the treatment of problem gambling.
童年不良经历（ACEs），如性虐待和身体虐待，已被确认为无序赌博发展的风险因素。然而，ACEs影响无序赌博的潜在机制仍不清楚。本研究的目的是全面调查十种童年逆境类型及其与成年期无序赌博的关系，并测试情绪调节障碍是否介导了ACEs与无序赌博之间的关系。一个社区赌博者样本（N = 414）完成了关于ACEs、情绪调节障碍和赌博严重程度的自我报告测量。结果显示，除一种类型（身体虐待）外，所有ACEs类型与无序赌博之间均存在显著关联。此外，结果突出了ACEs对赌博的累积影响。具体而言，与没有童年逆境史的个体相比，经历过三种或更多类型ACEs的个体报告无序赌博的可能性高出三倍多。重要的是，正如所假设的那样，情绪调节障碍介导了ACEs与无序赌博之间的关系。本研究结果描述了ACEs与赌博之间的关联，并表明童年逆境与无序赌博之间存在因果联系。结果表明，在问题赌博的治疗中，治疗措施可能最好同时解决ACEs和情绪调节障碍问题。
