Pathological gambling subtypes.
Although pathological gambling (PG) is regarded in the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) as a unitary diagnostic construct, it is likely composed of distinct subtypes. In the current report, the authors used cluster analyses of personality traits with a non-treatment-seeking community sample of gamblers and identified 3 PG subtypes. Gamblers partitioned into a simple PG cluster, characterized by low rates of comorbid psychopathology and trait scores near the normative mean; a hedonic PG cluster, characterized by moderate rates of comorbid psychopathology and a proclivity for excitement seeking and positive affect; and a demoralized PG cluster, characterized by high rates of comorbid psychopathology and a propensity toward negative affect, low positive emotionality, and disinhibition. The findings provide preliminary support for an empirically based typology of gamblers, distinguishable in terms of personality structure, which may reflect different etiologies.
Vachon
David D
DD
Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, USA.
Bagby
R Michael
RM
D000328:Adult; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D007174:Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results