No evidence for the role of intentional emotion regulation in gambling-related problems: Insights from self-report, behavioral, and heart rate variability measures

Abstract

Background: Emotion regulation strategies are central in models of gambling disorder. However, findings regarding the association between gambling-related problems and these strategies are mixed and mostly based on case-control studies with self-report measures.

Methods: This study examines associations of gambling problems' severity (SOGS) and gambling-related craving with strategic emotion-regulation (the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire [ERQ], an experimental reappraisal task, and task-related vagally-mediated heart rate variability [vmHRV]) in community gamblers. Bayesian correlations between all constructs of interest were computed; Bayesian ANOVAs were used to examine the course of vmHRV over time-on-task, and its sensitivity to predictive constructs; and Bayesian regressions to investigate whether gambling problems' severity predicted the use of ERQ strategies, and to determine if the effect of emotion regulation demands on vmHRV could be predicted from the SOGS score.

Results: Correlations did not show reliable relationships of SOGS scores and craving with intentional emotion regulation. The dispositional use of reappraisal and suppression (ERQ) did not predict differences in gambling problems' severity or craving. SOGS and craving scores predicted neither performance in the cognitive reappraisal task, nor task-related vmHRV. However, SOGS and craving correlated with urgency, and suppression and positive urgency predicted a stronger impact of time-on-task on vmHRV, independently of severity.

Discussion: These results show no reliable evidence of differences in emotion regulation strategies or their vmHRV correlates traceable to gambling problems' severity or craving, and thus challenge the widespread role of intentional emotion regulation in gambling-related problems. Implications regarding the prevalence of neurocognitive alterations in non-clinical gamblers are discussed.