Joint effects of impulsive and self-regulatory process on gambling frequency

Dual process models propose that behaviour is influenced by the interactive effect of impulsive (i.e., automatic or implicit) and self-regulatory (i.e., controlled or explicit) processes. Recently, evidence from the alcohol literature demonstrates that the impulse to engage in risky behaviour is mitigated by a high capacity to self-regulate. The current study aimed to extend this model to behavioural addictions, namely frequent gambling behaviour. It was hypothesized that impulsive processes favouring gambling (positive implicit gambling cognition) would predict frequent gambling, but only if the capacity to self-regulate was low. A treatment-seeking sample of 57 adults with problem gambling (M_age = 45.20 years, 54% men) completed two Single Category Implicit Association Tests, one reflecting tension-reduction, and the other enhancement, implicit gambling cognition. Participants also completed self-report measures of past week gambling frequency and the Gambling Abstinence Self-Efficacy Scale, which provided a measure of the self-regulatory capacity to abstain from gambling when emotionally aroused. Controlling for age and gender, consistent with hypotheses, implicit tension reduction gambling cognition positively predicted gambling frequency at low (p =.046) but not at high (p =.191) self-efficacy for gambling abstinence when feeling emotionally bad. However, self-efficacy for gambling abstinence when feeling emotionally good was not supported as a moderator of the effect of implicit enhancement gambling cognition on gambling frequency. Results suggest that the cognitions inherent in the impulsive process leading to frequent gambling are tension reduction or escape-related. Furthermore, emotionally relevant nuances to the ability to self-regulate gambling do exist; these nuances may contribute to both risk model specificity and interventions.