Longitudinal Studies of Gambling
Gambling involves placing something of value (usually money) at risk on an event with an element of chance in order to win a prize. The event could be a sporting event, horse race, dice game, slot machine or scratchcard, and the prize can be anything from a small amount of money to a life-changing jackpot.
The negative side of gambling can be devastating to people’s self-esteem, relationships and physical and mental health. It can also harm families, friends, work and communities. It can even be linked to crime. It can be hard to know when gambling is a problem because people often downplay or hide their gambling behaviors.
When people gamble, the brain’s reward center is activated in a similar way to when they eat a delicious meal or spend time with loved ones. These healthy behaviors trigger the release of a chemical called dopamine, which is associated with positive feelings and happiness. However, people can experience the opposite when they begin to gamble excessively, leading to gambling addiction.
Longitudinal studies of gambling are becoming more common, but there are many obstacles that make it difficult to conduct them. For example, longitudinal studies require a long-term commitment from the research team and a large sample size. They may also be confounded by aging effects, period effects (e.g., a person’s new interest in gambling could be due to a recent life change) and attrition. Thus, researchers must carefully select their study population to ensure that the results are valid and reliable.
