Gender Differences in Psychosocial Stress and in Its Relationship to Gambling Urges in Individuals with Pathological Gambling

Abstract

Gender differences in the impact of psychosocial stress and in negative affective states were assessed in a group of pathological gamblers matched by demographic characteristics and by severity of gambling. Women displayed higher impact scores on the Daily Stress Inventory. Other stress measures, obtained with the Profile of Mood States (POMS), were also significantly elevated in the women group. Furthermore, women's gambling urges correlated with both stress and the POMS measure, whereas men's gambling urges correlated with the stress ratings only. These data suggest distinctive determinants of gambling urges in women with pathological gambling vis-a-vis those of men.