(PS1-1) A Critical Evaluation of Gambling Motivation Methods in Both Research and Treatment

Abstract Text:

Background: Gambling problems appear to be increasing in many countries, due in large part to substantial increases in access to gambling over the past 20 years via online gambling platforms. This increase in gambling behavior has led to increases in gambling related problems, presenting challenges to both public health and behavioral health researchers. Over the past 20 years, motivational models of gambling behavior have emerged, highlighting the influence of different gambling motives on problem gambling. These motivational models have been touted as informing both public health, prevention efforts, as well as therapeutic efforts. Yet, there is little research critically examining the evidence basis for such models or the rigor of such models. The purpose of the present work was initially to conduct a systematic review of the empirical literature published through 2024 on the relationship between gambling motivations and problem gambling that synthesizes and evaluates findings.

Methods: This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines, querying databases for empirical, quantitative studies on gambling motives and problem gambling. Initial searches yielded 13,311 articles; after screening out articles that did not meet the inclusion criteria, a total of 118 studies were identified as relevant to the review. Special focus was given to research examining culturally adapted examinations of such models in diverse populations.

Results: Findings consistently underscored affect regulation motives as central drivers of gambling behavior and problem gambling, with the relationship between other motives and problem gambling being more experienced or context dependent. However, numerous methodological issues noted in studies precluded the ability to make meaningful comparisons between motives across studies. As such, we elected not to conduct a meta-analysis as this methodological variability precluded the reliability of any pooled effect size. The review also revealed a critical gap in research integrating public health frameworks with behavioral health treatment approaches, particularly in studies examining culturally-responsive, affirmative-based interventions across diverse populations.

Conclusion: The review highlights that, despite significant progress over the past two decades, much research on gambling motives suffers from simplistic methodologies, biased convenience sampling, flawed measurement conceptualizations, poor theoretical integration, and a lack of treatment-related studies. The limited research at the intersection of public health and behavioral health treatment represents a significant knowledge gap, as does the scarcity of studies on affirmative-based cognitive behavioral therapies with diverse populations. If these issues are not addressed, research on gambling motives will likely remain fragmented, with limited generalizability and repeated efforts. As a result, there is a notable lack of evidence to reliably inform the translation of research findings into clinical practice and public health policy.