The relationship among negative affect, distress tolerance, and length of gambling abstinence attempt.

The present study tested the theory that negative affect and one's ability to tolerate distress is associated with failure to quit gambling during an abstinence attempt. Specifically, 16 current pathological gamblers who had at least one sustained period of gambling abstinence lasting a minimum of 3 months (i.e.

Using the Rasch model to develop a revised Gambling Attitudes and Beliefs Scale (GABS) for use with male college student gamblers.

Research suggests that an overwhelming majority of college students gamble, with between 2-9% of U.S. students meeting DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling.

Using a Rasch model to examine the utility of the South Oaks Gambling Screen across clinical and community samples.

The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS: [Am. J. Psychiatr.

Using the Rasch model to evaluate the South Oaks Gambling Screen for use with nonpathological gamblers.

Despite its utility for the dichotomous differentiation of pathological and nonpathological gamblers, some have questioned the use of the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) for discriminating individuals across the entire range of gambling problems. Using methods from item response theory, we derived a six-item version of the SOGS. This shortened version of the SOGS performed uniformly across a sample of pathological gamblers and a sample of students and resulted in five levels of discrimination and the following interpretation: a score of 1 reveals potential for problems; 2 reveals likely problem gambling; 3 or 4 items endorsed represent significant levels of problems noticeable by others; while 5 or 6 represents severe problems with significant financial involvement.

Rapid onset of pathological gambling in machine gamblers.

A particularly rapid onset of pathological gambling (PG-onset) through the use of gambling machines has been widely alluded to, but this is the first study to empirically examine the phenomenon. This study compared the latency of PG-onset in those who gambled primarily on machines, compared to those who gambled primarily on more "traditional" forms of gambling at PG-onset. Subjects were 44 adult pathological gamblers (PGs) seeking outpatient treatment in Rhode Island (17 females; mean age = 46.

An open-label study of citalopram in the treatment of pathological gambling.

Background: This study evaluated the effectiveness of citalopram in the treatment of pathological gambling.

Method: Fifteen adult pathological gamblers (DSM-IV criteria) were administered citalopram in an open-label fashion for up to 12 weeks. Subjects were rated at baseline and at 2-week intervals on measures of gambling severity and depression, and monthly on quality of life.