The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

The WAGER Vol. 7(17) - Problem Behavior Syndrome: A Prospective Look at Gambling Risk Factors in Adolescence

Several cross-sectional studies have uncovered a number of psychosocial risk factors for adolescent gambling, such as substance abuse, school problems, and juvenile delinquency (Winters, Stinchfield, Botzet, & Anderson, 2002). While informative, unfortunately cross-sectional research does not allow for temporal sequencing of those psychosocial factors and the development of problem gambling. Consequently, cause and consequence cannot be distinguished. This WAGER reports on a recent longitudinal study of gambling risk factors among adolescents (Winters et al., 2002). Winters et al. contacted 910 families by phone and at Time 1, 702 agreed to participate in a series of phone interviews. Two years later,... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 7(16) - Fore! An Investigation of Wagering and Disordered Gambling Among Golfers

Tiger Woods won big at the Master’s tournament last week. But not all winning on the golf course is done officially. Many professional and amateur golfers also try to win by gambling on their golf games. This week’s WAGER reviews an ethnographic study that investigated gambling among golfers who wager on the outcome of their own games (Smith & Paley, 2001). The WAGER focuses on the authors’ description of disordered gambling among golfers. Smith and Paley collected data over one year at two private golf clubs in Canada. To limit the influence of scientific observation on natural playing patterns, the... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 7(15) - Netizens @ Risk: Online Gambling and Addiction

Researchers have suggested that technology influences psychological and social processes (Kipnis, 1991). The corollary is that addiction may be related to technological advance. The continuing rise in popularity of the Internet for communication, education, and entertainment provides an opportunity to explore the relationship between addiction and technology. The WAGER reports the results of a recent study of gambling problems among Internet and non-Internet gamblers (Ladd & Petry, 2002). Individuals (n=389) from university dental and health clinics either agreed to fill out a questionnaire after being approached by experimenters or voluntarily filled out the same questionnaire that was left in clinic... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 7(14) - Early Contributions to Gambling Research: A Psychoanalytic Case Analysis

Last week’s WAGER presented early psychoanalytic theories of problem gambling that were dominated by a link with masturbation. This week’s WAGER presents a summary of a case study reported by Lindner (1950), the source of the summaries of the theories presented last week, which illustrates how theorists devised the link between problem gambling and masturbation. The client: A man named Paul. The treatment plan: Analyze Paul and cure his gambling problem. At the time of the first meeting with Paul, he is 44 and serving a 3-year sentence in Federal prison for stealing and forgery. Originally, Paul worked as an... Read more →