Abstract
The aim of this study is to investigate the role played by mindfulness in the relationship between cognitive styles and gambling disorders in a sample of female young adults. Participants in this study (125 women; Mage = 18.64 years; SD = 1.7) were recruited in betting or bingo halls. They completed the South Oaks Gambling Screen, the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure, and Sternberg's questionnaire on thinking styles. The results from the mediation analyses revealed that the executive thinking style increases gambling and that the deficit in mindfulness ability mediates this relationship. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5®). American Psychiatric Pub.
Bandura, A. (1996). Social cognitive theory of human development. International Encyclopedia of Education, 2, 5513–5518.
Bandura, A., & Walters, R. H. (1977). Social learning theory (Vol. 1). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-hall.
Blaszczynski, A., & Nower, L. (2002). A pathways model of problem and pathological gambling. Addiction, 97, 487–499.
Brown, S., & Coventry, L. (1997). Queen of hearts: The needs of women with gambling problems. Victoria: Financial & Consumer Rights Council.
Chiesa, A., Calati, R., & Serretti, A. (2011). Does mindfulness training improve cognitive abilities? A systematic review of neuropsychological findings. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(3), 449–464.
Chiesi, F., Dellagiulla, A., Lionetti, F., Bianchi, G., & Primi, C. (2017). Using item response theory to explore the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). Mindfulness, 8, 351–360.
de Lisle, S., Dowling, N. A., & Allen, J. S. (2014). Mechanisms of action in the relationship between mindfulness and problem gambling behaviour. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 12(2), 206–225.
Ellenbogen, S., Derevensky, J., & Gupta, R. (2007). Gender differences among adolescents with gambling-related problems. Journal of Gambling Studies, 23(2), 133–143.
Emond, M. S., & Marmurek, H. H. (2010). Gambling related cognitions mediate the association between thinking style and problem gambling severity. Journal of Gambling Studies, 26(2), 257–267.
Felver, J. C., Celis-de Hoyos, C. E., Tezanos, K., & Singh, N. N. (2016). A systematic review of mindfulness-based interventions for youth in school settings. Mindfulness, 7(1), 34–45.
Fortune, E., & Goodie, A. (2012). Cognitive distortions as a component and treatment focus of pathological gambling: A review. Psychology of Addictive Behavior, 26, 298–310.
Graham, B. (1994). Parkville climbs back into gambling picture. Kansas: City Star.
Greco, L. A., Baer, R. A., & Smith, G. T. (2011). Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). Psychological Assessment, 23(3), 606–614.
Lesieur, H. R., & Blume, S. B. (1987). The south oaks gambling screen (SOGS): A new instrument for the identification of pathological gamblers. American Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 1184–1188.
MacLaren, V. V., Fugelsang, J. A., Harrigan, K. A., & Dixon, M. J. (2012). Effects of impulsivity, reinforcement sensitivity, and cognitive style on pathological gambling symptoms among frequent slot machine players. Personality and Individual Differences, 52(3), 390–394.
Martin, T., & Kirkcaldy, B. (1998). Gender differences on the EPQ-R and attitudes to work. Personality and Individual Differences, 24(1), 1–5.
Maynard, B. R., Wilson, A. N., Labuzienski, E., & Whiting, S. W. (2018). Mindfulness-based approaches in the treatment of disordered gambling: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Research on Social Work Practice, 28, 348–362.
Nower, L., & Blaszczynski, A. (2010). Gambling motivations, money-limiting strategies, and precommitment preferences of problem versus non-problem gamblers. Journal of Gambling Studies, 26, 361–372.
Nuske, E. M., Holdsworth, L., & Breen, H. (2016). Significant life events and social connectedness in Australian women’s gambling experiences. Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 33, 7–26.
Pace, U., D’Urso, G., Ruggieri, S., Schimmenti, A., & Passanisi, A. (2020). The role of narcissism, hyper-competitiveness and maladaptive coping strategies on male adolescent regular gamblers: Two mediation models. Journal of Gambling Studies, 37, 571–582.
Pace, U., D’Urso, G., & Zappulla, C. (2019). Internalizing problems as a mediator in the relationship between lack of control and internet abuse in adolescence: A three-wave longitudinal study. Computer in Human Behavior, 92, 47–54.
Pace, U., D’Urso, G., & Zappulla, C. (2018). Adolescent effortful control as moderator of Father’s psychological control in externalizing problems: A Longitudinal Study. Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 152, 164–177.
Pace, U., & Passanisi, A. (2018). Maladaptive personality traits and thinking styles among adolescent regular gamblers: A moderator mediation model. Personality and Individual Differences, 132, 108–114.
Passanisi, A., Craparo, G., & Pace, U. (2017). Magical thinking and decision-making strategies among late adolescent regular gamblers: A mediation model. Journal of Adolescence, 59, 51–58.
Passanisi, A., D’Urso, G., & Pace, U. (2019). The interplay between maladaptive personality traits and mindfulness deficits among adolescent regular gamblers: A mediation model. Journal of Gambling Studies, 35(1), 93–105.
Passanisi, A., & Pace, U. (2017). The unique and common contributions of impulsivity and decision-making strategies among young adult Italian regular gamblers. Personality and Individual Differences, 105, 24–29.
Phillips D. K., & Wilson W. A. (2009). Gambling and gender. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.
Potenza, M. N., Kosten, T. R., & Rounsaville, B. J. (2001). Pathological gambling. JAMA, 286(2), 141–144.
Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40(3), 879–891.
Rutter, M., & Garmezy, N. (1983). Developmental psychopathology. In E. M. Hetherington (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology (Vol. 4, pp. 775–911). Wiley.
Spears, C. A., Houchins, S. C., Bamatter, W. P., Barrueco, S., Hoover, D. S., & Perskaudas, R. (2017). Perceptions of mindfulness in a low-income primarily African American treatment-seeking sample. Mindfulness, 8(6), 1532–1543.
Stange, M., Walker, A. C., Koehler, D. J., Fugelsang, J. A., & Dixon, M. J. (2018). Exploring relationships between problem gambling, scratch card gambling, and individual differences in thinking style. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 7(4), 1022–1029.
Sternberg, R. J. (1999). Thinking Styles. Cambridge University Press.
Sternberg, R. J., & Wagner, R. K. (1992). Thinking styles inventory. New Haven, CT: Unpublished test, Yale University.
Svensson, J., & Romild, U. (2014). Problem gambling features and gendered gambling domains amongst regular gamblers in a Swedish population-based study. Sex Roles, 70(5–6), 240–254.
Technavio, (2020) https://www.technavio.com/report/gambling-market-size-industry-analysis, statista, 2019
Zhang, F., & Fan, L. (2012). The theory of mental self-government grows up: Where has it led the field after 21 years? In S. Rayner & E. Cools (Eds.), Style differences in cognition, learning, and management: Theory, research and practice (pp. 46–59). Routledge.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pace, U., Kusev, P., D’Urso, G. et al. Gambling Disorders Among Young Women Regular Gamblers: The Unique and Common Contribution of Executive Thinking Style and Mindfulness. J Gambl Stud 38, 833–841 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-021-10062-x
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-021-10062-x