Predicting Problem Gambling among Poker Machine Players from Coping Styles and Motivational Factors

This study explored (a) whether gamblers’ coping styles could successfully predict problem gambling within a poker machine playing population across Victoria; and (b) whether adding motivational factors to the prediction model comprising coping style variables could improve the prediction of problem gambling. One hundred eighty-nine poker machine gamblers (108 males, 81 females) aged between 18 and 65 years (Male M = 33.13, SD = 11.32; females M = 34.08, SD = 13.58) completed questionnaires comprising demographic questions, a version of the South Oaks Gambling Screen (Lesieur & Blume, 1993), the Coping Scale for Adults (Frydenberg & Lewis, 1993), and the Maroondah Assessment Profile for Problem Gambling (G-MAP) (Loughnan, Pierce, & Sagris-Desmond, 1999). Multiple regression analyses revealed that sex, marital and occupational status, and four coping styles significantly predicted problem gambling by accounting for 28.1% of the variance. The addition of motivational factors significantly added to the prediction of problem gambling. Sex and occupational status, coping styles, when combined with five motivation variables (beliefs about winning, feelings, situations, attitudes to self & social) accounted for 50.9% of the variance. These results highlight the importance of considering demographics, coping styles and motivational factors for the early detection of problem gambling. Introduction Pathological gambling shares many of the same features with alcoholism including withdrawal symptoms, dependency, loss of control and mood and behavioural changes (Blaszczynski, Winter & McConaghy, 1986; Blume, 1987). Further, McCormick (1987) asserts that pathological gamblers tend to have personality dimensions that resemble those of alcoholics; therefore it may be beneficial to explore variables, which have been found to contribute to the prediction of alcoholism, to observe whether they can be used to predict problem gambling on poker machines. One area that has gained support over the last 15 years is that of predicting alcoholism and other substance abuse disorders from coping styles. For example, the amount and frequency of