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The Relationship Between Pathological Gambling and Sensation Seeking: The Role of Subscale Scores

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Abstract

Research investigating the relationship between gambling and sensation seeking has yet to establish conclusively whether pathological gamblers (PGs) are more or less sensation seeking than nonpathological gamblers (NPGs). Sensation seeking is usually measured with the Zuckerman et al. (J Consult Clin Psychol 46:139–149, 1978) SS Scale form V (SSS-V). Whereas previous studies relied on the SSS-V total score, the current study uses two samples to demonstrate the importance of the SSS-V subscales, which include Thrill and Adventure Seeking (TA), Experience Seeking (ES), Disinhibition (DS), and Boredom Susceptibility (BS). In two samples, strong intrascale correlations between DS and BS, and between TA and ES, suggest that certain subscales reflect similar underlying characteristics. In both samples PGs displayed higher scores than NPGs on the DS and BS subscales, with mean differences in Sample 2 reaching significant levels for both DS and BS. Results support the notion that the SSS-V can be divided into concepts reflecting actual behavior, based on the DS and BS subscales, and hypothetical behavior, based on the TA and ES subscales. Furthermore, PGs appear to have a preference for the more behavioral subscales while NPGs show a preference for the more hypothetical subscales. Reasons for the subscale divisions and preferences are discussed.

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Notes

  1. We recruited this relatively small sample as part of a longitudinal study with the intention of testing hypotheses regarding changes in gambling severity over time, which were not supported. The data reported here were obtained in the first wave of data collection.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by National Institutes of Health research grant MH067827, and by grants from the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre and the Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders to ASG.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602-3013, USA

    Erica E. Fortune & Adam S. Goodie

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  1. Erica E. Fortune
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  2. Adam S. Goodie
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Correspondence to Adam S. Goodie.

Appendix

Appendix

Thrill and Adventure Seeking (TA)

I often wish I could be a mountain climber.

I sometimes like to do things that are a little frightening.

I would like to take up the sport of water skiing.

I would like to try surfboard riding.

I would like to learn to fly an airplane.

I would like to go scuba diving.

I would like to try parachute jumping.

I like to dive off the high board.

I would like to sail a long distance in a small but seaworthy sailing craft.

I think I would enjoy the sensations of skiing very fast down a high mountain slope.

Experience Seeking (ES)

I like some of the earthy body smells.

I like to explore a strange city or section of town myself, even if it means getting lost.

I have tried marijuana or would like to.

I would like to try some of the new drugs that produce hallucinations.

I like to try new foods that I have never tasted before.

I would like to take off on a trip with no preplanned or definite routes or timetables.

I would like to make friends in some of the “far-out” groups like artists or “hippies.”

I would like to meet some persons who are homosexual (men or women).

I often find beauty in the “clashing” colors and irregular form of modern painting.

People should dress in individual ways even if the effects are sometimes strange.

Disinhibition (DS)

I like wild “uninhibited” parties.

I enjoy the company of real “swingers.”

I often like to get high (drinking liquor or smoking marijuana).

I like to have new and exciting experiences and sensations even if they are a little unconventional or illegal.

I like to date members of the opposite sex who are physically exciting.

Keeping the drinks full is the key to a good party.

A person should have considerable sexual experience before marriage.

I could conceive of myself seeking pleasures around the world with the “jet set.”

I enjoy watching many of the “sexy” scenes in movies.

I feel best after taking a couple of drinks.

Boredom Susceptibility (BS)

I can’t stand watching a movie that I’ve seen before.

I get bored seeing the same old faces.

When you can predict almost everything a person will do and say, he or she must be a bore.

I usually don’t enjoy a movie or a play where I can predict what will happen in advance.

Looking at someone’s home movies or travel slides bores me tremendously.

I prefer friends who are excitingly unpredictable.

I get very restless if I have to stay around home for any length of time.

The worst social sin is to be a bore.

I like people who are sharp and witty even if they do sometimes insult others.

I have no patience with dull or boring persons.

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Fortune, E.E., Goodie, A.S. The Relationship Between Pathological Gambling and Sensation Seeking: The Role of Subscale Scores. J Gambl Stud 26, 331–346 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-009-9162-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-009-9162-8

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