Treatment seeking electronic gambling machine gamblers : definitional issues, psychopathological constructs and mediation processes.

The present study is an examination of gambling behaviour for people attending counselling services specifically for difficulties with electronic gaming machines. The three issues examined are i) whether the current criteria for defining a person with a gambling problem are adequate for treatment seeking electronic gaming machine gamblers, ii) whether there are a distinct set of psychological criteria that can be used to define this group of people and iii) whether dissociation as a process will mediate between these personality variables and gambling behaviour. Results found some minimal differences between treatment groups and significant differences to the control group. The DSM IV-TR criteria were examined to clarify underlying factors. The DSM IV-TR criteria for pathological gambling demonstrated utility of definition between gamblers and non gamblers but minimal discrimination of underlying factors within the gambling group. Mediation analysis found there is a relationship between dissociation and psychopathology but that it did not act as a mediator for gambling behaviour. Additionally, no significant overall mediation models were found.