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A Longitudinal Empirical Investigation of the Pathways Model of Problem Gambling

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Abstract

The pathways model of problem gambling suggests the existence of three developmental pathways to problem gambling, each differentiated by a set of predisposing biopsychosocial characteristics: behaviorally conditioned (BC), emotionally vulnerable (EV), and biologically vulnerable (BV) gamblers. This study examined the empirical validity of the Pathways Model among adolescents followed up to early adulthood. A prospective-longitudinal design was used, thus overcoming limitations of past studies that used concurrent or retrospective designs. Two samples were used: (1) a population sample of French-speaking adolescents (N = 1033) living in low socio-economic status (SES) neighborhoods from the Greater Region of Montreal (Quebec, Canada), and (2) a population sample of adolescents (N = 3017), representative of French-speaking students in Quebec. Only participants with at-risk or problem gambling by mid-adolescence or early adulthood were included in the main analysis (n = 180). Latent Profile Analyses were conducted to identify the optimal number of profiles, in accordance with participants’ scores on a set of variables prescribed by the Pathways Model and measured during early adolescence: depression, anxiety, impulsivity, hyperactivity, antisocial/aggressive behavior, and drug problems. A four-profile model fit the data best. Three profiles differed from each other in ways consistent with the Pathways Model (i.e., BC, EV, and BV gamblers). A fourth profile emerged, resembling a combination of EV and BV gamblers. Four profiles of at-risk and problem gamblers were identified. Three of these profiles closely resemble those suggested by the Pathways Model.

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Acknowledgements

Part of this study was funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec sur la Société et la Culture.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Youssef Allami & Richard E. Tremblay

  2. GRIP, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Youssef Allami, Frank Vitaro, Mara Brendgen, René Carbonneau & Richard E. Tremblay

  3. School of Psychoeducation, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Frank Vitaro

  4. Department of Psychology, University of Quebec at Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Mara Brendgen

  5. Department of Pediatrics, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada

    René Carbonneau & Richard E. Tremblay

  6. Department of Sociology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Éric Lacourse

  7. School of Public Health, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Richard E. Tremblay

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  1. Youssef Allami
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  2. Frank Vitaro
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  4. René Carbonneau
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  6. Richard E. Tremblay
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Correspondence to Youssef Allami.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Allami, Y., Vitaro, F., Brendgen, M. et al. A Longitudinal Empirical Investigation of the Pathways Model of Problem Gambling. J Gambl Stud 33, 1153–1167 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-017-9682-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-017-9682-6

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