| dc.description.abstract | This study used hierarchical cluster analysis to empirically investigate several of the associated features of Blaszczynski&Nower's (2002) Pathways Model of problem and pathological gambling. Online questionnaires were administered to 177 gamblers, who responded to instruments measuring gambling behaviors, gambling cognitions, boredom susceptibility, risk-taking, depression, anxiety, impulsivity, ADHD features, and antisocial features. Hierarchical cluster analysis using Ward's method and confirmatory analysis produced a four-cluster solution of distinct gambler subtypes. Using the Pathways Model as a theoretical basis, these clusters were labeled Antisocial Impulsivist, Emotionally Vulnerable - Risk and Boredom, Emotionally Vulnerable - Depression and Anxiety, and Behaviorally Conditioned. The findings were largely consistent with the Pathways Model, but those who would likely be categorized as "Emotionally Vulnerable" gamblers according to the Pathways Model were parsed into two separated clusters. These clusters represented a differentiation between gamblers with emotional vulnerabilities, with one group possessing personality characteristics associated with the Pathways model, and another group possessing mood disturbance characteristics. The findings served to validate the belief that there are subtypes of problem and pathological gamblers with different gambling motivations and comorbid psychological problems, and provide additional evidence for the evolution of the Pathways Model. | |
