A brief report on dysregulation of positive emotions and impulsivity: Their roles in gambling disorder

Emotion dysregulation is considered a central feature of gambling disorder. However, research has mainly focused on the examination of the role played by negative emotional states, neglecting processes related to positive emotionality. Recently, some authors developed a useful tool to measure dysregulation of positive emotions, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-Positive (DERS-P), which has been successfully used in a study investigating substance use disorder. The role played by dysregulation of positive emotions in gambling disorder was investigated in order to bridge the gap in the literature. We administered the Impulsive Behavior Scale Short Form (UPPS-P) and the DERS-P to a sample of disordered gamblers (n = 95) using the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) as well as group of non-gamblers or non disordered gamblers (n = 105). We found that disordered gamblers, compared to controls, scored higher on the negative and positive urgency subscale of the UPPS-P as well as on the impulse and non-acceptance subscales of the DERS-P. Moreover, these scales positively correlated with the severity of gambling disorder. However, in a unique model of multiple regression analysis, only the positive urgency dimension was a significant predictor of the SOGS scores. Dysregulation of positive emotions seems to be involved in gambling disorder. Specifically, our study suggested that the difficulty to accept positive emotional states in non-judgmental way accounts for the disorder. However, the proneness to act rashly under the influence of positive emotional states appears to be the stronger predictor of gambling disorder severity in this sample.