Impulsivity and Pathological Gambling: A Descriptive Model

The DSM-IV-TR classifies pathological gambling as a disorder of impulse control. Empirical studies have noted elevated levels of impulsivity in pathological gamblers and putative functional relationships between impulsivity, severity of gambling problems and treatment attrition. However the concept of impulsivity has been variably defined with a persistent failure to clearly articulate the specific nature of impulsivity as a state or trait or its role in the etiology and maintenance of pathological gambling. This paper: (a) reviews the literature on impulsivity as it relates to gambling behaviour; and (b) proposes a descriptive model that integrates predisposing factors, individual differences, sociological influences, cognitive factors, and affective interpretations that combine to generate dysfunctional forms of impulsivity that fuels the gambling cycle; and (c) explores directions for further theoretical and empirical investigation.