Gambling disorder subtypes: an updated systematic review

ABSTRACT

Blaszczynski and Nower established the Pathways model as an integrative theoretical framework for subtyping GD. Within this framework, they propose three etiological subtypes of problem gamblers: (a) behaviorally conditioned, (b) emotionally vulnerable, and (c) antisocial impulsivist gamblers. The current systematic review was conducted to evaluate the validity and clinical utility of the Pathways model and other subtyping models, providing an update to a previous systematic review. A literature search was conducted using the PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases. Included articles were written in English, and published in a peer-reviewed journal between 2010 and 2021. The articles used empirical methods to derive subtypes from a sample of individuals who gamble, including both qualitative and quantitative methods. In total, 38 articles were included in this review. Articles are presented as consistent with Pathways or as utilizing another subtyping schema. Evaluation of the literature reveals that use of the Pathways model appears to be influential in efforts to subtype gamblers over the last decade. Other subtyping schemas that emphasize symptom severity and comorbid psychopathology may be incorporated into the Pathways model. Gaps in the current literature and future directions are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Gambling disorder
• pathways model
• gambling subtypes
• pathological gambling
• literature review

Disclosure statement

This work was supported by the Michigan Department of Community Health & Human Services; Helene Lycaki/Joe Young Sr. funding through the State of Michigan.

Preregistration statement

No preregistration was declared by the authors in relation to this manuscript.

Data availability statement

No data set was declared by the authors in relation to this manuscript.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here

Additional information

Notes on contributors

ShayLin Excell

ShayLin Excell is a graduate student studying clinical psychology at Wayne State University. Her research interests include homelessness, extreme poverty, and substance use, as well as community-based intervention and prevention.

Ciara N. Cannoy

Ciara Cannoy is a PhD candidate in clinical psychology at Wayne State University. Her research interests include homelessness/poverty, the etiology and treatment of severe psychopathology, and addictive disorders.

Danishi K. Bedi

Danishi Bedi is an undergraduate student studying Public Health and Spanish at Wayne State University. Her research interests include substance use disorders.

Mannat K. Bedi

Mannat Bedi is a current undergraduate student at Wayne State University studying economics and Spanish, with plans of pursuing a medical degree in the future. Her research interests include substance use and addiction disorders.

Yasir Mehmood

Yasir Mehmood is a recent graduate of Wayne State University where he obtained his B.S. in Public Health. His research interests include methods of smoking cessation, neighborhood adversity and disease management, and community based participatory research

Leslie H. Lundahl

Leslie Lundahl is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Wayne State University. Her research interests include the behavioral pharmacology of cannabis and she conducts controlled laboratory studies of craving and self-administration and clinical trials with individuals using cannabis/cannabinoids for therapeutic purposes.

David M. Ledgerwood

David Ledgerwood is a Professor of Psychiatry at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. His research interests include mechanisms and treatment of gambling disorder, as well as nicotine/tobacco and other substance use disorders.