Using Virtual Reality to Elicit Dysfunctional Thoughts in Individuals With Gambling Disorder
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4309/jgi.2018.38.9Abstract
Dysfunctional thoughts contribute to the development and maintenance of gambling disorder. Although studies in the gambling field have mostly documented dysfunctional thoughts specific to gambling (gambling-specific thoughts; GSTs), gamblers also manifest thoughts that have been documented for other addictions (addiction-related thoughts [ARTs]), such as relief-oriented thoughts. Improvements in the efficiency of cognitive restructuring in gamblers requires better access to their dysfunctional thoughts, which may be achieved through exposure to a gambling situation in virtual reality (VR) or in imagination (IM). Although VR appears to present advantages in prompting gamblers to verbalize dysfunctional thoughts, no studies have compared VR to IM to verify these advantages. This study documents GSTs and ARTs as verbalized by individuals with gambling disorder during a gambling session in VR (n = 16) or in IM (n = 13). It also compares the number of GSTs and ARTs verbalized by gamblers in both conditions, as well as the different types of GSTs. Qualitative data were first analyzed and then transformed into quantitative data for frequency theme analyses and t tests. Results show that exposure to a gambling situation in VR allows access to more GSTs, as well as to a greater diversity of GSTs, than does exposure to gambling in IM; however, VR does not allow access to more ARTs, which suggests that these thoughts may be more automatic in gamblers, or that the VR environment was not designed to evoke these thoughts. Overall, the findings suggest that VR in a clinical context could help increase the efficiency of cognitive restructuring in gamblers.
Résumé
Les pensées dysfonctionnelles contribuent au développement et au maintien de problèmes de jeu. Bien que les études dans le domaine du jeu présentent essentiellement des pensées dysfonctionnelles documentées spécifiques au jeu (pensées spécifiques associées au jeu), les joueurs manifestent également des pensées documentées liées à d’autres dépendances (pensées liées à la dépendance) telles que des pensées associées au soulagement. Pour améliorer l’efficacité de la restructuration cognitive auprès des joueurs, il est important d’avoir une meilleure compréhension de leurs pensées dysfonctionnelles. Cela peut se faire par l’exposition à une situation de jeu, en réalité virtuelle (RV) ou en imagination (IM). Bien que la réalité virtuelle semble inviter davantage les joueurs à verbaliser leurs pensées dysfonctionnelles, aucune étude n’a fait de comparaison entre la RV et l’IM. Cette étude documente les pensées spécifiques associées au jeu et les pensées liées à la dépendance, verbalisées par des personnes atteintes de troubles de jeu, pendant une séance de jeu en RV (n = 16) ou en IM (n = 13). Elle compare également le nombre de pensées liées à la dépendance et le nombre de pensées spécifiques associées au jeu, verbalisées par les joueurs dans les deux conditions, ainsi que les différents types de pensées liées à la dépendance. Les données qualitatives ont d’abord été analysées puis transformées en données quantitatives pour effectuer des analyses de thème et fréquence et des tests de Student. Les résultats montrent que l’exposition en RV permet d’accéder à plus de pensées spécifiques associées au jeu qu’avec l’IM, ainsi qu’à une plus grande diversité de pensées. La RV ne permet cependant pas d’avoir accès à plus de pensées, ce qui laisse croire que ces pensées peuvent être plus automatiques chez les joueurs ou que l’environnement de RV n’a pas été conçu pour évoquer ces pensées. Globalement, les résultats laissent supposer que la RV dans un contexte clinique pourrait accroître l’efficacité de la restructuration cognitive.
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