Pathological gambling: Implications for therapeutic recreation practice

Therapeutic Recreation Journal, Fourth Quarter 1999 by Carruthers, Cynthia

Factors that Influence Pathological Gambling

The literature presents many different variables that may influence whether an individual will gamble pathologically and whether they will maintain a recovering lifestyle. Consensus among scholars and practitioners does not exist on these issues. However, the following factors were identified consistently in the literature and provide the foundation for the discussion of possible TR interventions which will follow. The factors that influence the development, maintenance, and recovery from pathological gambling include arousal needs, cognitive variables, affective variables, and social variables (Brown, 1986).

Arousal Needs Jacobs (1989) posited that one of the factors that predisposes an individual to pathological gambling is being in a chronically stressed state of either hyperarousal or hypoarousal. According to Jacobs, gambling becomes a way of bringing arousal into the desired range. This arousal modulation plays a major role in pathological gambling (Brown, 1986; Walters, 1994a).

According to Jacobs (1989), hyperaroused individuals will seek to decrease arousal. Some gambling activities, such as video poker and slot machines, are very repetitive. Interaction with the machine in a clear, straightforward, repetitive manner can become almost hypnotic, and allows the individual to disassociate (Rugle, 1993). The narrowing of attention to the game alone diverts attention from the more complex, threatening challenges of daily life (Blaszcaynski & Silove, 1995). The individual can block out the stresses of life in an attempt to relax. One of the major rewards of gambling that is reported by pathological gamblers is escape from reality and life's stresses. Of course, gambling provides only a temporary respite for individuals who gamble pathologically and creates many more problems than it cures.

According to Jacobs (1989), hypoaroused individuals will seek to increase arousal. For some individuals, gambling provides stimulation and removes the discomfort of physiological underarousal and boredom (Walters, 1994a). Studies suggest that gambling is frequently motivated by the desire to experience excitement or to escape boredom (Walters), Research suggests that sensation seeking is associated with pathological gambling (Brown, 1986-, Coyle & Kinney, 1990@ Wolfgang, 1988). although it seems to vary based on the preferred type of gambling activity; that is, horse racing versus slots (Coventry & Brown, 1993). According to the American Psychiatric Association (1994), most individuals with pathological gambling report that they want the "action" or the "rush" even more than the monetary winnings. Many pathological gamblers increase over time the amount that they wager in order to maintain the desired level of excitement.

Cognitive Variables

Cognitive variables include distortions in thinking and perception that individuals have about themselves, their situation, and the odds (Brown, 1986). These cognitive distortions are instrumental in the gambler's misperception of the probability of winning (Sylvain, Ladouceur, & Boisvert, 1997) and can contribute to anxiety (Seaward, 1994) and depression (Beck, Wright, Newman, & Liese, 1993). Cognitive variables also include the inability to weigh and process information for effective decision-making.