Hungarian Brain Research Program(NAP2022-I-4/2022)
(TKP2021-EGA-25)
(STARTING 150862)
Background: Motives underlying addictions have been widely studied, using validated
tools such as the Gambling Motives Questionnaire (GMQ) (Stewart and Zack, 2008). Nevertheless,
subsequent studies have suggested the need to extend this model. The present paper
aimed to identify potential additional factors, such as escapism, omnipotence, pleasure
and financial motives, in addition to the social, enhancement and coping aspects already
included. Methods: A total of 40 motivational items (adding 25 additional items to
the original GMQ items) were analysed within two datasets. Sample 1 was a player panel
from a gambling service provider (N = 1829; mean age: 42.4 [SD = 13.3]; Females: 30
% [n = 548]), while Sample 2 consisted of a nationally representative sample of the
Hungarian population (N = 437; mean age: 42.9 [SD = 13.55]; Females: 49.2 % [N = 215]).
Results: Exploratory Factor Analysis on Sample 1 identified four factors (including
a total of 27 items): coping/escapism, social motives, enhancement/pleasure, and financial
motives. The four-factor structure was confirmed on Sample 2 with confirmatory factor
analysis showing adequate model fit (CFI = 0.987; TLI = 0.986; RMSEA [CI] = 0.047
[0.041-0.052]); however, high inter-factor correlations were evident in the general
population sample. A shorter, 14-item version of the scale was also suggested. Conclusions:
Although the newly identified motives overlap with the original ones, the content
of the factors enables the inclusion of certain aspects, like escapism within the
coping factor, that proved to be the most important in relation to other potentially
addictive behaviours. This suggests that examining the role of motives in gambling
may be crucial in differentiating between problem gambling and recreational gambling.
