Differences in Emotion Regulation Considering Gender, Age, and Gambling Preferences in a Sample of Gambling Disorder Patients

Autor: Marta Sancho, Marta de Gracia, Roser Granero, Sara González-Simarro, Isabel Sánchez, Fernando Fernández-Aranda, Joan Trujols, Núria Mallorquí-Bagué, Gemma Mestre-Bach, Amparo del Pino-Gutiérrez, Teresa Mena-Moreno, Cristina Vintró-Alcaraz, Trevor Steward, Neus Aymamí, Mónica Gómez-Peña, José Manuel Menchón, Susana Jiménez-Murcia
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2019
Předmět:
Zdroj: Frontiers in Psychiatry, Vol 10 (2019)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1664-0640
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00625
Popis: Introduction: Impairments in emotion regulation are understood to be a transdiagnostic risk factor of suffering from compulsive and addictive behaviors. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of emotion regulation deficits in gambling disorder and to analyze these differences taking gender, age, and gambling activity preferences into account. Methods: The sample included n = 484 patients seeking treatment for gambling disorder at a specialized outpatient service. Main outcomes were sociodemographic variables, emotion regulation, and gambling severity. Results: Differences between sexes were found in non-acceptance of emotions. Older patients obtained higher levels in non-acceptance of emotions, lack of emotion regulation strategies, emotional clarity, and global emotion regulation scores. No differences were found in emotion scores considering gambling preferences (non-strategic versus strategic). Path analysis showed that emotion regulation scores and age had a direct effect on gambling disorder severity, while emotion regulation and gambling preference were not mediational variables in the relationships of gender and age with gambling severity. Conclusions: Emotion regulation impairments differ in patients seeking treatment for gambling problems. Early prevention and intervention programs should incorporate the different dimensions of this process, taking into account clinical phenotypes.
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