Gambling Behavior and Pathology in Relation to Impulsivity, Sensation Seeking, and Risky Behavior in Male College Students

Sensation seeking and impulsivity are two constructs of personality that are generally believed to be associated with risky behavior, including gambling. Despite the fact that pathological gambling is classified as an Impulsive Control Disorder in the DSM-IV, relatively little empirical research has investigated the relationship between gambling and impulsivity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between sensation seeking, impulsivity, risky behaviors and gambling. One hundred and forty-four male undergraduate university students completed several inventories measuring sensation seeking, impulsivity, gambling, and risky behaviors. Statistical analyses revealed a very high percentage of participants were classified in the pathological gambler range of scores. In addition, a significant difference was found between the relationships of sensation seeking, impulsivity, and risky behaviors with gambling scores in the pathological versus non-pathological groups. Pathological gambler's scores on measures of sensation seeking and impulsivity did not correlate with their degree of gambling pathology. In contrast, the sensation seeking and impulsivity scores of non-pathological gamblers did correlate with their scores of gambling pathology. These results have implications on Jacob's General Theory of Addiction. The findings of this study also suggest that the classification of gambling as an impulse control disorder rather than an addictive disorder needs to be reevaluated.