title: The role of affect-driven impulsivity in gambling cognitions: A convenience-sample study with a Spanish version of the Gambling-Related Cognitions Scale.
abstract: Background and aims Abnormal cognitions are among the most salient domain-specific features of gambling disorder. The aims of this study were: (a) to examine and validate a Spanish version of the Gambling-Related Cognitions Scale (GRCS; Raylu & Oei, 2004) and (b) to examine associations between cognitive distortion levels, impulsivity, and gambling behavior. Methods This study first recruited a convenience sample of 500 adults who had gambled during the previous year. Participants were assessed using the Spanish version of GRCS (GRCS-S) questionnaire, the UPPS-P impulsivity questionnaire, measures of gambling behavior, and potentially relevant confounders. Robust confirmatory factor analysis methods on half the sample were used to select the best models from a hypothesis-driven set. The best solutions were validated on the other half, and the resulting factors were later correlated with impulsivity dimensions (in the whole n = 500 factor analysis sample) and clinically relevant gambling indices (in a separate convenience sample of 137 disordered and non-disordered gamblers; validity sample). Results This study supports the original five-factor model, suggests an alternative four-factor solution, and confirms the psychometric soundness of the GRCS-S. Importantly, cognitive distortions consistently correlated with affect- or motivation-driven aspects of impulsivity (urgency and sensation seeking), but not with cognitive impulsivity (lack of premeditation and lack of perseverance). Discussion and conclusions Our findings suggest that the GRCS-S is a valid and reliable instrument to identify gambling cognitions in Spanish samples. Our results expand upon previous research signaling specific associations between gambling-related distortions and affect-driven impulsivity in line with models of motivated reasoning.
authors.affiliation: 1 Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Granada , Granada, Spain.|3 Centre for Economic and International Studies, University of Rome "Tor Vergata" , Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Del Prete
authors.affiliation: 4 Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL , Barcelona, Spain.|5 Ciber Fisiopatología, Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III , Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Trevor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Steward
authors.affiliation: 1 Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Granada , Granada, Spain.|2 Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada , Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Navas
authors.affiliation: 4 Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL , Barcelona, Spain.|5 Ciber Fisiopatología, Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III , Madrid, Spain.|6 Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona , Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fernández-Aranda
authors.affiliation: 4 Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL , Barcelona, Spain.|5 Ciber Fisiopatología, Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III , Madrid, Spain.|6 Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona , Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Murcia
authors.affiliation: 7 School of Psychology, University of Queensland , Brisbane, Australia.|8 Department of Psychology, James Cook University , Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Tian P S
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Oei
authors.affiliation: 1 Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Granada , Granada, Spain.|2 Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada , Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: José C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Perales
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D003071:Cognition; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: cognitive biases; gambling cognitions; gambling disorder; impulsivity; psychometric tools