A systematic literature review of studies on attitudes towards gambling using the Attitudes Towards Gambling Scale (ATGS)

ABSTRACT

Several studies have investigated attitudes toward gambling using the Attitudes Towards Gambling Scale (ATGS), however, their findings have not previously been synthesized or systematically reported. Thus, we conducted a systematic literature review on studies employing the ATGS to summarize the current evidence. Database searches were conducted in January 2022 in Cinahl, Embase, PsycInfo, Pubmed, Web of Science, GreyNet, and Google Scholar. Papers were included if they presented data based on the ATGS and were published in a European language. Twenty-six papers presenting the results from 23 unique studies met the inclusion criteria. Two reviewers independently extracted the data and assessed the risk of bias. Most of the studies were cross-sectional and used the short (8-item) version of ATGS. The synthesis indicates an overall incline towards negative attitudes. More positive attitudes were associated with being male, younger age, and higher gambling frequency. Studies were divergent in findings concerning problem gambling and gambling attitudes, which could be due to variance in problem gambling severity in the samples. The current evidence base is encumbered by limitations in study quality and designs. Future research should emphasize longitudinal designs, include non-western samples, and investigate the directionality and causality of variables associated with attitudes towards gambling.

KEYWORDS:

• Gambling
• attitudes
• gambling disorder
• ATGS
• literature review

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that no funding was received and no constraints on publishing nor conflicts of interest exist that readers should know about in relation to this manuscript.

Ethical approval

This paper presents a systematic review based on previously published data.

Preregistration statement

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/; record ID: CRD42022311675

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author.

Open Scholarship

This article has earned the Center for Open Science badge for Preregistered. The materials are openly accessible at https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022311675

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joakim Hellumbråten Kristensen

Joakim Hellumbråten Kristensen holds a master’s degree in social- and cognitive psychology and is a Ph.D-candidate at the Department of psychosocial science, University of Bergen. His research predominantly concerns behavioral addictions with an emphasis on gambling- and gaming research.

Sandra Trifunovic

Sandra Trifunovic holds a bachelor’s degree in general psychology from the University of Bergen. She is currently working at the Faculty of Psychology, and will begin her master’s degree in leadership and organizational psychology in the fall of 2022.

Julie Strand

Julie Strand completed her bachelor’s degree in general psychology from the University of Bergen in 2022. From the fall of 2022, she will begin her master’s degree in psychology with a specialization in work and organizational psychology.

Karen Kraft Vistnes

Karen Kraft Vistnes has a bachelor’s degree in general psychology from the University of Bergen. Starting autumn of 2022, she will be a master’s student in psychology with a specialization in work and organizational psychology.

André Syvertsen

André Syvertsen is a clinical psychologist (Cand. Psychol.) and Ph.D candidate the Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen. His main research interests include quantitative and qualitative research on gaming and gambling problems.

Amin Zandi

Amin Zandi holds a master’s degree in clinical psychology from the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran, Iran. His research concerns clinical psychology and personality-environmental interactions.

Ståle Pallesen

Ståle Pallesen is a professor of psychology at the University of Bergen and Head of the Norwegian Competence Center for Gambling Gaming Research. He has authored more than 100 papers on gambling-related topics.