title: Excitement-seeking gambling in a nationally representative sample of recreational gamblers.
abstract: Excitement-seeking and related constructs have been associated with heavier gambling and negative health measures in problem and/or pathological gamblers. Most adults gamble recreationally and an understanding of the relationship between excitement-seeking as a motivation for gambling amongst subsyndromal gamblers has significant public health implications. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine a national sample of past-year recreational gamblers (N = 1,476) to identify characteristics distinguishing gamblers acknowledging gambling for excitement ("Excitement-seeking Gamblers" or EGs) and gamblers denying gambling for excitement ("Non-excitement-seeking Gamblers" or NEGs). EGs were more likely than NEGs to report alcohol use and abuse/dependence, any substance abuse/dependence, incarceration, large gambling wins and losses, more frequent and varied gambling, and symptoms of pathological gambling (i.e., at-risk gambling). Together, these findings indicate that EGs are more likely than NEGs to demonstrate problems in multiple areas characterized by impaired impulse control.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry/Division of Substance Abuse, Yale University, 34 Park Street, Room S-104, New Haven, CN 06519, USA.
authors.forename: Michael V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Pantalon
authors.forename: Paul K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Maciejewski
authors.forename: Rani A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Desai
authors.forename: Marc N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Potenza
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal; D001294:Attitude to Health; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012201:Reward; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology