title: Exploring the Relationship between Reward and Punishment Sensitivity and Gambling Disorder in a Clinical Sample: A Path Modeling Analysis.
abstract: Most individuals will gamble during their lifetime, yet only a select few will develop gambling disorder. Gray's Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory holds promise for providing insight into gambling disorder etiology and symptomatology as it ascertains that neurobiological differences in reward and punishment sensitivity play a crucial role in determining an individual's affect and motives. The aim of the study was to assess a mediational pathway, which included patients' sex, personality traits, reward and punishment sensitivity, and gambling-severity variables. The Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire, the South Oaks Gambling Screen, the Symptom Checklist-Revised, and the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised were administered to a sample of gambling disorder outpatients (N = 831), diagnosed according to DSM-5 criteria, attending a specialized outpatient unit. Sociodemographic variables were also recorded. A structural equation model found that both reward and punishment sensitivity were positively and directly associated with increased gambling severity, sociodemographic variables, and certain personality traits while also revealing a complex mediational role for these dimensions. To this end, our findings suggest that the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire could be a useful tool for gaining a better understanding of different gambling disorder phenotypes and developing tailored interventions.
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, C/Feixa Llarga s/n, Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907, Barcelona, Spain. sjimenez@bellvitgehospital.cat.|Ciber Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CB 06/03), Instituto Salud Carlos III, C/Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. Pabellón 11-Planta 0, 28029, Madrid, Spain. sjimenez@bellvitgehospital.cat.|Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Campus de Bellvitge - Pavelló de Govern, Feixa Llarga s/n, Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907, Barcelona, Spain. sjimenez@bellvitgehospital.cat.
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Murcia
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, C/Feixa Llarga s/n, Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907, Barcelona, Spain.|Ciber Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CB 06/03), Instituto Salud Carlos III, C/Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. Pabellón 11-Planta 0, 28029, Madrid, Spain.|Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Campus de Bellvitge - Pavelló de Govern, Feixa Llarga s/n, Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fernández-Aranda
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, C/Feixa Llarga s/n, Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907, Barcelona, Spain.|Ciber Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CB 06/03), Instituto Salud Carlos III, C/Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. Pabellón 11-Planta 0, 28029, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Gemma
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mestre-Bach
authors.affiliation: Ciber Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CB 06/03), Instituto Salud Carlos III, C/Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. Pabellón 11-Planta 0, 28029, Madrid, Spain.|Departament de Psicobiologia i Metodologia de les Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, C/Fortuna Edifici B, Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Roser
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Granero
authors.affiliation: Departament de Psicobiologia i Metodologia de les Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, C/Fortuna Edifici B, Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Salomé
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tárrega
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Av. de Can Domènech, 737, 08193, Cerdanyola, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Torrubia
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, C/Feixa Llarga s/n, Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Neus
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aymamí
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, C/Feixa Llarga s/n, Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gómez-Peña
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, C/Feixa Llarga s/n, Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907, Barcelona, Spain.|Departament de Psicobiologia i Metodologia de les Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, C/Fortuna Edifici B, Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Spain.|Ciber de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto Salud Carlos III, C/Monforte de Lemos 3-5. Pabellón 11-Planta 0, 28029, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Carles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Soriano-Mas
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, C/Feixa Llarga s/n, Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907, Barcelona, Spain.|Ciber Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CB 06/03), Instituto Salud Carlos III, C/Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. Pabellón 11-Planta 0, 28029, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Trevor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Steward
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, C/Feixa Llarga s/n, Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moragas
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, C/Feixa Llarga s/n, Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baño
authors.affiliation: Nursing Department of Mental Health, Public Health, Maternal and Child Health, Nursing School, University of Barcelona, Campus de Bellvitge - Pavelló de Govern, Feixa Llarga s/n, Hospitalet del Llobregat, 08907, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Amparo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Del Pino-Gutiérrez
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, C/Feixa Llarga s/n, Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907, Barcelona, Spain.|Ciber Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CB 06/03), Instituto Salud Carlos III, C/Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. Pabellón 11-Planta 0, 28029, Madrid, Spain.|Ciber de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto Salud Carlos III, C/Monforte de Lemos 3-5. Pabellón 11-Planta 0, 28029, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Menchón
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000523:psychology*; D002605:Character; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009042:Motivation; D011678:Punishment; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D012201:Reward; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013694:Temperament
keywords: Gambling disorder; Gray’s Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory; Path analysis; Personality; Sensitivity to punishment; Sensitivity to reward