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An Investigation of the Association Between Shame and Problem Gambling: The Mediating Role of Maladaptive Coping Motives

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Abstract

Despite often being considered equivalent affective states, shame and guilt have differential associations with problem gambling with only shame showing a strong positive association with problem gambling. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying the shame-problem gambling association. Further, shame and guilt are associated with distinct coping strategies, with shame motivating maladaptive coping (e.g., avoidance, escape) and guilt motivating adaptive coping (e.g., taking corrective action). This study aimed to examine whether maladaptive coping motives for gambling mediate the relationship between shame, but not guilt, and gambling problems. Participants were 196 (126 male) regular gamblers who completed a same and guilt scale, the Problem Gambling Severity Index, and a modified Gambling Motives Questionnaire, which assessed individual motives to engage in gambling for coping, enhancement, or social reasons. Results indicated that coping motives for gambling fully mediated the relationship between shame and problem gambling severity, but did not mediate the association between guilt and problem gambling severity. Experiencing shame contributes to problem gambling as a result of gambling to cope with negative affect. Cultivating more adaptive strategies to cope with shame may be effective in preventing and treating problem gambling.

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Notes

  1. Mean values and standard deviations for the original and modified GMQ are presented at the item level (1–4 scale) rather than as total scores in order to facilitate comparisons between the two versions of the questionnaire. The modified GMQ included a total of 18 coping items, but the current study used only coping items comparable to those used in the original scale, as only the original scale has been validated at this point.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by an operating grant from the Manitoba Gambling Research Program (MGRP) awarded to Sherry H. Stewart, Michael Ellery, and Abbey Goldstein. The findings and conclusions of this paper are those solely of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of Manitoba Lotteries. A postdoctoral fellowship from the Movember Canada Foundation was awarded to Kara Thompson. The authors would like to thank Ainsley Cloutier, Benjamin Weilgart-Whitehead, Megan Cowie, Michael Ellery, Nadina Mahadeo, Natalie Vilhena-Churchill, Pamela Collins, and Preeyam Parikh for their assistance with data collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada

    Hera E. Schlagintweit & Sherry H. Stewart

  2. Department of Psychology, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Canada

    Kara Thompson

  3. Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Abby L. Goldstein

  4. Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada

    Sherry H. Stewart

  5. Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada

    Sherry H. Stewart

Authors
  1. Hera E. Schlagintweit
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  2. Kara Thompson
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  3. Abby L. Goldstein
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  4. Sherry H. Stewart
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sherry H. Stewart.

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The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Compliance with Ethical Requirements

The study received ethical approval from the Dalhousie University Health Sciences Research Ethics Board.

Statement of Human Rights

The study involved human participants and was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Statement on the Welfare of Animals

Animals were not used in the present study.

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Schlagintweit, H.E., Thompson, K., Goldstein, A.L. et al. An Investigation of the Association Between Shame and Problem Gambling: The Mediating Role of Maladaptive Coping Motives. J Gambl Stud 33, 1067–1079 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-017-9674-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-017-9674-6

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