Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Viale Ellittico, 31, Caserta, 81100, Italy.
Giustino Fortunato Telematic University, Viale Raffaele Delcogliano, 12, Benevento, 82100, Italy.
BMC Psychol. 2024 Aug 19;12(1):445. doi: 10.1186/s40359-024-01911-6.
Dysfunctional decision-making and intense craving represent pivotal aspects across all addictive behaviors, notably evident in gambling addiction where these factors significantly shape chasing behavior-continuing gambling to recoup losses-indicative of problematic gambling. This study explores the correlation between chasing behavior, craving, affective decision-making, decision-making styles, and gambling severity among habitual Italian gamblers.
One hundred and sixty-six participants from diverse gambling venues completed assessments including the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), the General Decision-Making Style (GDMS), the Gambling Craving Scale (GACS), and a computerized task to measure chasing behavior. Participants were randomly assigned to Control and Loss chasing conditions.
Regression analyses revealed craving as a predictor of chasing behavior. Interestingly, individuals with a dependent decision-making style exhibited lower tendencies to chase. While IGT performance correlates with chasing frequency, it is not associated with the decision to continue or cease gambling. Intriguingly, gambling severity (SOGS total score) did not feature in the final models of both regression analyses.
These findings emphasize the significant role of craving in driving chasing behavior. Additionally, this study introduces, for the first time, the idea that a dependent decision-making style could potentially serve as a safeguard against chasing proneness.
The study suggests a fundamental dichotomy between chasers and nonchasers among gamblers, irrespective of gambling severity. This distinction could be instrumental in tailoring more effective intervention strategies for gambling disorder treatment.
功能失调的决策和强烈的渴望是所有成瘾行为的关键方面，在赌博成瘾中尤为明显，这些因素显著塑造了追逐行为——继续赌博以挽回损失——表明存在问题性赌博。本研究探讨了习惯性意大利赌徒的追逐行为、渴望、情感决策、决策风格和赌博严重程度之间的相关性。
来自不同赌博场所的 166 名参与者完成了评估，包括 South Oaks Gambling Screen（SOGS）、Iowa Gambling Task（IGT）、General Decision-Making Style（GDMS）、Gambling Craving Scale（GACS）以及一项用于测量追逐行为的计算机任务。参与者被随机分配到控制和损失追逐条件。
回归分析显示渴望是追逐行为的预测因素。有趣的是，具有依赖决策风格的个体表现出较低的追逐倾向。虽然 IGT 表现与追逐频率相关，但与继续或停止赌博的决策无关。有趣的是，赌博严重程度（SOGS 总分）并未出现在两个回归分析的最终模型中。
这些发现强调了渴望在驱动追逐行为中的重要作用。此外，本研究首次提出依赖决策风格可能是防止追逐倾向的一种保护措施。
研究表明，无论赌博严重程度如何，赌徒中存在追逐者和非追逐者之间的基本二分法。这种区别可能有助于为赌博障碍治疗量身定制更有效的干预策略。
