Preliminary findings on cryptocurrency trading among regular gamblers: A new risk for problem gambling? (original) (raw)
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Development and Verification of Problematic Cryptocurrency Trading Scale
Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2021
Aim: Cryptocurrency trading is similar to problematic gambling behavior, with its high-risk factors and its methods of use. In this sense, it can become addictive. The aim of this study is to develop a valid and reliable scale to measure Problematic Cryptocurrency Trading among individuals who trade cryptocurrency. Method: First, the theoretical framework of the study was discussed to lay a basis for the motives of this study. Then, with the help of the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria and internet addiction scales, a 16-item scale was designed. The study was carried out on 2 different sample groups. The results were reported under the titles Study 1 and Study 2. The sample size of Study 1 was 1314. The data were collected through TrueFeedBack BlackStar, a survey platform that provides survey participation by awarding its participants with cryptocurrency. For this data set, item analyses, the t-test, reliability analysis, and the explanatory factor analysis were performed for 27% of the lower and upper groups. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) test and Bartlett's test of sphericity to determine the suitability for the factor analysis, the principal component analysis for factorization, and the promax method for factor rotations were used. The SPSS Statistics 22 software package was used for the analyses. The sample size of Study 2 was 353. The data were collected from people known to be trading cryptocurrencies. The confirmatory factor analysis was performed for the model, the factor structure of which was determined in Study 1. For the goodness of fit of the model, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), incremental fit index (IFI), goodness of fit index (GFI), and chi-Square Test (χ 2) goodness of fit criteria were used. The Amos 23 software package was used for the data analysis. Results: As a result of the exploratory factor analysis, a two-factor structure was obtained. For the total scores of the scale, Cronbach's alpha reliability value was found to be 0.913, and for the subfactors, Cronbach's alpha values were found to be 0.897 and 0.866. The factor loadings of items varied between 0.786 and 0.597 for the first sub-factor and between 0.869 and 0.683 for the second sub-factor. The confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the two-factor structure of the scale, and the goodness of fit criteria were found to be at acceptable levels. Conclusion: It was determined that the Problematic Cryptocurrency Trading Scale is a valid and reliable scale.
GBQ VALIDATION 1 An Assessment of the Validity of the Gamblers Belief Questionnaire
Addictive Behaviors, 2019
Cognitive distortions in gambling are irrational thoughts that cause an individual to overestimate their level of control over the outcome of the game and diminish the role of chance. Due to their strong relation to gambling disorders, they are a particularly important characteristic to assess and understand in gamblers. Although numerous measures of gambling-related cognitive distortions exist, studies assessing criterion validity are scarce. In this study, we develop several tests of the Gamblers Belief Questionnaire (GBQ), a versatile and widely used scale. A sample of 184 U.S. adults was recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk to complete an online study that included measurement of the GBQ and an assessment of the perceived role of skill and chance in various gambling and non-gambling activities. In addition to a confirmatory factor analysis of the scale, three novel validation tests were developed to understand whether the GBQ subscales can identify and discriminate measures of illusion of control and gambler’s fallacy distortions. Our validation tests demonstrate that the scale does measure both distortions, providing information about gamblers’ cognition that is unexplained by gambling problems, frequency of play, and demographics. Conversely, our analysis of the factor structure does not show good fit. We conclude that the GBQ measures gambling-related cognitive distortions, but there may be an opportunity to reduce the number of scale items and further refine precision of the two subscales.
Prevalence and Correlates of Problem Gambling in a Representative Sample of Norwegian 17-Year-Olds
We report data collected in a representative sample of 17-year-old Norwegians to investigate prevalence rates of non-problem, risk, and problem gambling, as measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). In addition, we explored the importance of demographic, personality, motivational, social, and health variables explaining variance in adolescent gambling. Prevalence rates of risk and problem gambling were low but similar to those found in previous studies outside of Norway using the PGSI in adolescent samples. With regard to the relative importance of the various covariates, we found that motivational variables (future gambling intentions, attitudes toward gambling, and gambling-related knowledge) distinguished best between those who did not gamble, non-problem gamblers, and risk and problem gamblers. Furthermore, social variables were important covariates of adolescent gambling; significant associations were found for family and friends’ approval of gambling, parental monitoring, father’s level of education, and having relatives or friends with a history of a gambling disorder. We discuss possible reasons for differences between the covariates with regard to their importance for explaining adolescent gambling and address implications for future research.
Predictors of Gambling-Related Problems in Adult Internet Gamblers
2018
Predictors of Gambling-Related Problems in Adult Internet Gamblers by Barbaradee Foote MA, National University, 1989 BS, Willamette University, 1985 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Clinical Psychology
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