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Carla Martí Valls - Institutionen för kliniska vetenskaper, Lund
Title: From the Gambler’s Perspective: Meaning-Making, Gambling Identity, and Personality Functioning in Gambling Problems
Main supervisor: Professor Anders Håkansson, Lund University
Reviewers: PhD Chris Geraets, Lund University, Associate Professor Martin Wolgast, Lund University and PhD André Tärnhäll, Lund University
Abstract
Background
The social and subjective aspects of addiction are often understudied, limiting our understanding of addiction from a first-person perspective and constraining models of recovery, learned habits, and social identity. This gap is especially evident in less-studied addictions like gambling disorder, where theories from other addictions are often reused rather than tailored to its unique characteristics. The aim of this thesis is to examine how gamblers understand and make sense of their gambling. Specifically, it investigates (1) what outcomes they expect from gambling, (2) how they conceptualize gambling problems, (3) how they personally construct gambling and gambling problems, and (4) how strongly they identify as a “gambler”. Further, it examines how these factors relate to gambling problems and other gambling-related variables, and whether these associations vary according to personality functioning.
Research questions
- What are the most common personal meanings that gamblers hold about gambling, and how strong is their gambling identity?
- How do these personal meanings and gambling identity relate to gambling-related variables concurrently and over time?
- Does personality functioning moderate the relations between personal meanings/gambling identity and gambling-related variables?
Preliminary results
Study I. The gambling outcome expectancies most strongly associated with gambling problems and symptoms were escape, ego enhancement, and excitement expectancies. Moreover, the maladaptive personality traits of disinhibition and antagonism were also linked to gambling problems and symptoms. Interactions between escape and money expectancies and maladaptive personality traits in relation to gambling problems and symptoms were also observed.
Study II. In terms of conceptualizing gambling problems, being a woman and being older were associated with conceptualizing gambling problems as a disease, which in turn was associated with lower gambling problems and symptoms. In relation to gambling identity, being a man, being young, and having less education were associated with a stronger gambling identity, which in turn was associated with higher gambling problems and symptoms.
Significance
Examining personal meanings that gamblers attach to their gambling and their gambling identity can provide a more comprehensive understanding of overlooked conflicts in gambling, and point to more tailored interventions that improve engagement, outcomes, and help prevent gambling problems.
Om evenemanget
Plats:
Beroendecentrum Spelberoendemottagningen, Södra Förstadsgatan 35, plan 4, Malmö or Zoom https://lu-se.zoom.us/j/67553777661
Kontakt:
carla [dot] marti_valls [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se