Moderating effect of alexithymia between problem gambling and psychotic experiences in university students
Abstract Background Most of the young individuals with problem gambling (PG) or psychotic experiences (PEs) are less prone to seek medical help. Therefore, community-based studies investigating the relationship between these entities in non-clinical young people across a continuum of severity are wa...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2024-01-01
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| Series: | BMC Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-05472-7 |
| _version_ | 1797362987306057728 |
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| author | Feten Fekih-Romdhane Farah Ghrissi Manel Stambouli Abir Hakiri Alexandre Andrade Loch Majda Cheour Souheil Hallit |
| author_facet | Feten Fekih-Romdhane Farah Ghrissi Manel Stambouli Abir Hakiri Alexandre Andrade Loch Majda Cheour Souheil Hallit |
| author_sort | Feten Fekih-Romdhane |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Most of the young individuals with problem gambling (PG) or psychotic experiences (PEs) are less prone to seek medical help. Therefore, community-based studies investigating the relationship between these entities in non-clinical young people across a continuum of severity are warranted. To this end, the present study proposes to advance knowledge on the mechanisms that potentially underlie the association between PG and PEs, by examining the role of a potential moderator, i.e. alexithymia, in this relationship. Methods A total of 399 participants enrolled in this study (mean age = 21.58 ± 3.20 years) participated in an online cross-sectional survey. The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), the Prodromal Questionnaire-Brief (PQ-B), and the Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS-20) were used. Results Thirty-three (8.3%) participants had problem-gambling, whereas 13 (3.3%) were probable pathological gamblers. Moderation analysis results adjusted over confounders (age, household crowding index, marital status, personal history of mental disorder, other illegal drug use) showed that the interaction PG by alexithymia (p = .018) was significantly associated with PEs scores. At moderate (Beta = 1.93) and high (Beta = 3.38) levels of alexithymia, more PG was significantly associated with more PEs scores. Conclusion Findings suggest that GP may have a different impact on PEs depending on the individual’s level of alexithymia. As such, both alexithymia and gambling behavior should be considered in the clinical assessment of young people who present with PEs, which can help in implementing more tailored and individualized treatment plans. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T16:15:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-302c0ac9f84141e0aa0301b20b6490e0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-244X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T16:15:05Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-302c0ac9f84141e0aa0301b20b6490e02024-01-07T12:38:27ZengBMCBMC Psychiatry1471-244X2024-01-012411910.1186/s12888-023-05472-7Moderating effect of alexithymia between problem gambling and psychotic experiences in university studentsFeten Fekih-Romdhane0Farah Ghrissi1Manel Stambouli2Abir Hakiri3Alexandre Andrade Loch4Majda Cheour5Souheil Hallit6The Tunisian Center of Early Intervention in Psychosis, Department of Psychiatry “Ibn Omrane”, Razi hospitalThe Tunisian Center of Early Intervention in Psychosis, Department of Psychiatry “Ibn Omrane”, Razi hospitalThe Tunisian Center of Early Intervention in Psychosis, Department of Psychiatry “Ibn Omrane”, Razi hospitalFaculty of Medicine of Tunis, Tunis El Manar UniversityLaboratorio de Neurociencias (LIM 27), Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clinicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao PauloThe Tunisian Center of Early Intervention in Psychosis, Department of Psychiatry “Ibn Omrane”, Razi hospitalSchool of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Holy Spirit University of KaslikAbstract Background Most of the young individuals with problem gambling (PG) or psychotic experiences (PEs) are less prone to seek medical help. Therefore, community-based studies investigating the relationship between these entities in non-clinical young people across a continuum of severity are warranted. To this end, the present study proposes to advance knowledge on the mechanisms that potentially underlie the association between PG and PEs, by examining the role of a potential moderator, i.e. alexithymia, in this relationship. Methods A total of 399 participants enrolled in this study (mean age = 21.58 ± 3.20 years) participated in an online cross-sectional survey. The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), the Prodromal Questionnaire-Brief (PQ-B), and the Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS-20) were used. Results Thirty-three (8.3%) participants had problem-gambling, whereas 13 (3.3%) were probable pathological gamblers. Moderation analysis results adjusted over confounders (age, household crowding index, marital status, personal history of mental disorder, other illegal drug use) showed that the interaction PG by alexithymia (p = .018) was significantly associated with PEs scores. At moderate (Beta = 1.93) and high (Beta = 3.38) levels of alexithymia, more PG was significantly associated with more PEs scores. Conclusion Findings suggest that GP may have a different impact on PEs depending on the individual’s level of alexithymia. As such, both alexithymia and gambling behavior should be considered in the clinical assessment of young people who present with PEs, which can help in implementing more tailored and individualized treatment plans.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-05472-7Gambling problemPsychotic experiencesAlexithymiaStudentsModeration |
| spellingShingle | Feten Fekih-Romdhane Farah Ghrissi Manel Stambouli Abir Hakiri Alexandre Andrade Loch Majda Cheour Souheil Hallit Moderating effect of alexithymia between problem gambling and psychotic experiences in university students BMC Psychiatry Gambling problem Psychotic experiences Alexithymia Students Moderation |
| title | Moderating effect of alexithymia between problem gambling and psychotic experiences in university students |
| title_full | Moderating effect of alexithymia between problem gambling and psychotic experiences in university students |
| title_fullStr | Moderating effect of alexithymia between problem gambling and psychotic experiences in university students |
| title_full_unstemmed | Moderating effect of alexithymia between problem gambling and psychotic experiences in university students |
| title_short | Moderating effect of alexithymia between problem gambling and psychotic experiences in university students |
| title_sort | moderating effect of alexithymia between problem gambling and psychotic experiences in university students |
| topic | Gambling problem Psychotic experiences Alexithymia Students Moderation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-05472-7 |
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