The following is a summary of “Protective effects of cognitive empathy and emotional empathy on gambling disorder are mediated by risk aversion and responsible gambling attitude,” published in the January 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Zhou et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to investigate the associations between social abilities (cognitive and emotional empathy) and gambling disorder (GD), exploring the role of risk aversion and responsible gambling attitudes as potential mediators.
They recruited a convenience sample of 580 past-year lottery gamblers (Mage=34.07, SD = 13.36; 50.4% female) near lottery sales shops, who anonymously completed a paper-version questionnaire on-site. The data gathered through DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for GD, Interpersonal Reactivity Index, Risk Aversion Scale, Positive Play Scale, and demographic items were subjected to path analysis and mediation analysis. They investigated the impact of cognitive empathy and emotional empathy on GD, examining the mediating roles of risk aversion and responsible gambling attitude.
The results showed a significant and negative correlation between cognitive empathy but not emotional empathy and GD. The impact of cognitive empathy on GD was found to be fully mediated by risk aversion and a responsible gambling attitude. The overall indirect effect of emotional empathy on GD was nonsignificant. As hypothesized, both types of empathy exhibited significant and sequential mediation through risk aversion and responsible gambling attitude in the indirect paths leading to GD.
Investigators concluded that cognitive empathy, not emotional empathy, correlates with GD, and responsible gambling attitudes offer a critical protective factor for future prevention efforts.
Source: bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-024-05509-5#Sec11