The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

The WAGER Vol. 7(44) - The Role of Parental Bonding in Problem Gambling

Research suggests that parental bonding can influence a child’s development and might influence risk for the development of psychopathology in adulthood (Bowlby, 1977). Results from the National Comorbidity Study suggest that measures of parental bonding, including lack of care and overprotection, are associated with the subsequent development of a variety of mental disorders in adulthood (Enns, Cox, & Clara, 2002). In a recent study, Grant and Kim explored the relationship between parental bonding and pathological gambling (PG); their research is the focus of this week’s WAGER (Kim and Grant, 2002). Kim and Grant recruited 33 DSM-IV identified pathological gamblers (M... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 7(43) - Hit or Stay: Decision-Making and the Pathological Gambler

Research suggests that decision-making behavior is impaired among patients diagnosed with ventromedial prefrontal cortex lesions (e.g., Bechara et al., 1994; Bechara et al., 1998; Adolphs et al., 2000; Grant et al., 2000). This research indicates that depleted levels of serotonin might distort an individual’s ability to weigh immediate rewards against long-term negative consequences. Using a specially designed “Gambling Task,” Cavedini, Riboldi, Keller, D’Annucci, and Bellodi (2002) compared decision-making behaviors mediated by the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in pathological gamblers and non-pathological controls. This week’s WAGER considers the results of this study. Cavedini et al. recruited 20 pathological gamblers and 40 healthy... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 7(42) - Early Intervention: Treating Level 2 Gamblers

By the time many people enter treatment for problem gambling, they often have amassed debt and done considerable damage to their interpersonal relationships. Early interventions might be successful in averting a large number of such crises. Robson, Edwards, Smith, & Colman (2002) recently published a program evaluation for the early intervention program ‘Gambling Decisions.’ Robson et al. describe ‘Gambling Decisions’ as a brief (i.e., 6-week) cognitive behavior treatment (CBT) program for early stage problem gamblers (i.e. less severe gambling problems). The program goals are somewhat flexible since it neither advocates abstinence nor controlled gambling. The overall program aims include: (1)... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 7(41) - Gambling in Sin City: The Role of Religion

Past research has demonstrated that religiosity exerts a protective effect against substance use and abuse (Amoateng & Bahr, 1986; Kendler, Gardner, & Prescott, 1997; Miller, Davies, & Greenwald, 2000; Wallace & Bachman, 1991). In order to determine whether the same relationship exists between religion and gambling participation, Diaz (2000) conducted a telephone survey of 513 Las Vegas residents using random digit dialing. The survey consisted of questions regarding the participants’ gambling patterns and religious practices. This week’s WAGER presents the survey results. Diaz found that almost a quarter of all Las Vegas residents surveyed gambled daily. As Figure 1 illustrates,... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 7(40) - Changing Bets: How Time influences payoffs and probability

A charity website, www.longbets.org, holds high stakes bets for individuals interested in wagering on social and scientific issues. Participants give financial winnings to a charity of their choice and retain the prestige of accurately predicting, for example, whether by 2020, bioterror or bioerror will lead to one million casualties in a single event. More lighthearted bets suggest that the USA men’s soccer team will win the World Cup before the Boston Red Sox will win the World Series.1 Participants can wager a minimum of $1,000, but the website reports individual stakes of up to $10,000. One stated goal of “Longbets”... Read more →