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Addiction Research & Theory

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Modeling intrinsic spirituality in gambling disorder

Belle Gavriel-Fried, Tania Moretta & Marc N. Potenza

To cite this article: Belle Gavriel-Fried, Tania Moretta & Marc N. Potenza (2019):
Modeling intrinsic spirituality in gambling disorder, Addiction Research & Theory, DOI:
10.1080/16066359.2019.1622002

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/16066359.2019.1622002

Published online: 13 Jun 2019.

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ADDICTION RESEARCH & THEORY
https://doi.org/10.1080/16066359.2019.1622002

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Modeling intrinsic spirituality in gambling disorder


Belle Gavriel-Frieda , Tania Morettab and Marc N. Potenzac
a
The Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; bDepartment of General Psychology, University of Padua,
Padova, Italy; cDepartments of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Child Study Center; Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Connecticut
Mental Health Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY


Background: Spirituality is related to an individual’s relationship with a Transcendent Being or Received 2 March 2019
Ultimate Reality, which may contribute to salutary human experience and serve as a motive for atti- Revised 3 May 2019
tudes and behaviors. In contrast to studies in the field of substance addictions showing that spirituality Accepted 7 May 2019
may protect against substance-use problems and disorders and is a resource that may promote recov-
KEYWORDS
ery, few studies have investigated the role of spirituality in gambling disorder, particularly ones using Intrinsic spirituality scale;
validated scales. gambling disorder;
Objectives: To probe the psychometric characteristics of the Intrinsic Spirituality Scale in individuals recovery; Israel
with gambling disorder and explore potential links between spirituality and a diagnosis of gambling
disorder and its severity, and levels of psychopathology as manifested in depression and anxiety.
Method: One-hundred-and-forty individuals over the age of 18 years with lifetime gambling disorder
from five treatment centers in Israel were assessed on the Intrinsic Spirituality Scale, diagnostic criteria
for gambling disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire 9
for depression.
Results: The Intrinsic Spirituality Scale showed good psychometric properties, differentiated recovered
and non-recovered individuals, and was negatively associated with severity of gambling disorder. No
significant associations were found with depression and anxiety.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that intrinsic spirituality is an important construct in Israeli individu-
als recovering from gambling disorder and highlight the importance of intrinsic spirituality in recovery
from gambling disorder. Additional research is needed to understand the underlying processes and
the extent to which the findings may extend to other groups of individuals with gambling disorder.

Introduction gambling behavior and preoccupation which generates harm


to the individual and others in their surroundings, and is
A growing interest in positive psychology and strengths-based
often related to other psychiatric symptoms and disorders
approaches, in addition to social changes that emphasize
including depression and anxiety disorders (Kessler et al.
secularism, may have led to increased attention in the concept
2008; Lorains et al. 2011; Grant and Chamberlain 2015).
of spirituality in the fields of mental health and addictions
Few quantitative studies assessing resources and treat-
(Barton and Miller 2015; Garcia et al. 2017). Spirituality
ment outcomes that enable individuals to cope with their
involves individuals’ relationships with a Transcendent Being
gambling problems and disorders or sustain recovery have
or Ultimate Reality and the way this relationship may guide
probed spirituality in relation to GD. Of these, most have
their behaviors and attitudes (Hodge 2003; Hodge et al.
not use validated scales to assess spirituality (Clark et al.
2015). Generally speaking, spirituality is negatively associated
2006; Oei and Gordon 2008). The aim of the current study
with mental illness and levels of involvement in risk behaviors
such as substance use and abuse, and positively associated is twofold: to investigate the psychometric properties of the
with many aspects of recovery from substance addictions and Intrinsic Spirituality Scale (ISS) (Hodge 2003) in individuals
other mental disorders (Hodge et al. 2007; Robinson et al. with GD, and to test for potential associations between spir-
2007; Salas-Wright et al. 2013; Dermatis and Galanter 2016; ituality and GD and its severity and levels of depression and
Beraldo et al. 2018). anxiety. The goal is to provide evidenced-based data on the
Gambling disorder (GD) is a behavioral addiction that is role of intrinsic spirituality in gambling recovery.
classified under the section of substance-related and addict-
ive disorders in the latest version of the Diagnostic and
Spirituality and addictive behaviors
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM–5;
American Psychiatric Association 2013). It is characterized Spirituality may help people across developmental stages
by impaired control over gambling, persistent maladaptive make sense of difficulties and stressors and shape attitudes

CONTACT Belle Gavriel-Fried bellegav@tauex.tau.ac.il The Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel.
ß 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
2 B. GAVRIEL-FRIED ET AL.

and behaviors (Koenig 2010). A recent concept analysis of was added to recovery capital as a personal dimension that
studies conducted between 2002 and 2013 identified three may serve as a resource to help individuals overcome sub-
main defining attributes of spirituality in the fields of health, stance addiction (Sterling et al. 2008).
psychology and sociology: transcendence, connectedness, Many studies have explored spirituality in the context of
and meaning in life (Weathers et al. 2016). Accordingly, spir- attending and involvement in 12-step programs (Geppert
ituality was defined by these authors as, “a way of being in et al. 2007) that emphasize connections with a higher power
the world in which a person feels a sense of connectedness or God and view spirituality as a key component of recovery
to self, others, and/or a higher power or nature; a sense of from addictions (White et al. 2001; Morjaria and Orford
meaning in life; and transcendence beyond self, everyday liv- 2002; Geppert et al. 2007; Kelemen et al. 2007; Kelly et al.
ing, and suffering” (Weather et al. 2016, p. 93). 2009; Mustain and Helminiak 2015; Dermatis and Galanter
Differences exist between spirituality and religiosity. While 2016). For example, “spiritual awakening” in Alcoholics
both may relate to connections with Sacred or Transcendent Anonymous (AA) has been linked to decreased likelihood of
Beings, religiosity tends to emphasize the socially shared set alcohol cravings in 266 AA attendees (Galanter et al. 2012).
of practices and beliefs that are framed under organizational Given the comorbidity between substance addictions and psy-
and institutional settings, whereas spirituality is perceived as chiatric symptoms and disorders (George and Krystal 2000;
a personal, intrinsic component that relates to an individual’s Schuckit 2006; Brook et al. 2016), studies have also reported
relationship with God or perceived transcendence, which may negative associations between a range of dimensions of spir-
contribute to a salutary human experience (Hodge 2003, ituality (such as existential well-being) and psychiatric symp-
2015; Hodge and Reynolds 2018). Contemporary definitions toms including anxiety (And o et al. 2016) and depressive
have broadened the concept of spirituality to suggest it may symptoms or disorders (Diaz et al. 2011; Kleftaras and
be included in religiosity but also extend beyond it (Hodge Katsogianni 2012; Horton et al. 2016) in individuals with sub-
2018). Thus, spirituality can exist within a religion context stance-use disorders.
but is also a distinct entity in itself. This definition thus Despite accumulating data, studies of spirituality have
covers people from diverse religious backgrounds as well been criticized for inconsistent and varying definitions and
on those who define themselves as non-religious or atheists measurements (Cook 2004), including the use of unvalidated
(Koenig 2008; Hodge 2018). Other conceptualizations see
and/or single-item measures (Geppert et al. 2007). Relatedly,
religiosity and spirituality as each having independent and
items referring to God may not be valid indicators of spir-
overlapping components that may operate through buffering
ituality in non-theistic populations (Hodge 2003) and values
and preventative mechanisms to promote positive health out-
such as harmony, well-being, gratefulness and the capacity
comes (Garfield et al. 2013).
for forgiveness may also be related to or distinct from spir-
Some scholars in the addiction field view spirituality as a
ituality (Koenig 2008). As such, the use of validated instru-
key factor that explains the etiology of addictive behaviors
ments to assess spirituality has been advocated.
and as a resource that enhances recovery (Cook 2004). For
Empirical studies examining spirituality as related to GD
example, within existential theory (Frankl 1959), it has been
and recovery from GD are scarce despite data suggesting that
suggested that a lack of meaning in life and an experience
GD and substance-use disorders share underlying mechanisms,
of existential vacuum might lead to frustration that is ful-
vulnerability factors and treatment approaches (Petry 2015;
filled by addictive behaviors, whereas having high levels of
spirituality might enhance many aspects of recovery and Goudriaan et al. 2019). Studies examining spirituality as a pro-
contribute to maintaining long-term recovery (Wolf et al. tective factor against gambling behavior among non-clinical
1995; Gerwood 1998; Jarusiewicz 2000; Cook 2004; Garcia populations (Hodge et al. 2007; Chen et al. 2018) and among
et al. 2017). individuals with gambling problems (Clark et al. 2006; Oei
Empirical studies, most of which have been conducted and Gordon 2008) have generated seemingly inconsistent
on individuals with substance-use problems and disorders, results. Among 5179 adolescents and young adults, those who
show a negative associations between various dimensions were certain in their spiritual beliefs were more likely to gam-
of spirituality and substance use, substance addictions and ble (Chen et al. 2018). Similar findings were reported by Clark
recovery (Jarusiewicz 2000; Geppert et al. 2007; Koenig et al. (2006) who asked 244 individuals (of whom 148 were
2010; Salas-Wright et al. 2013). For example, increases in problem gamblers) to rate their motives to continue gambling.
spirituality, religious practices and beliefs (such as private One of the motives was “gambling gives me hope and oppor-
spiritual and religious practices, forgiveness of the self, and tunity for a better life”, an item that the authors interpreted
daily spiritual experience) predicted better drinking out- as “spirituality.” Problem gamblers were 3 times more likely
comes such as abstinence and a reduction in drinking in than non-problem gamblers to make this statement, which
364 individuals with alcohol dependence over the course led the authors to conclude that in some cases spirituality
of 6 and 9 months (Robinson et al. 2011). Spirituality (spir- may contribute to the development of gambling problems.
itual well-being, optimism and surrender) was positively These finding may be explained by superstitious beliefs
associated with indicators of recovery success (e.g. long- and/or distorted hope related to gambling behaviors
term recovery and recovery-oriented behaviors) among 252 (Ariyabuddhiphongs and Chanchalermporn 2007) that may
individuals from alcohol treatment settings (White et al. lead individuals to think that their beliefs in a Higher
2001). In acknowledgment of its importance, spirituality Power may help them win.
ADDICTION RESEARCH & THEORY 3

In contrast, Oei and Gordon (2008) found that belief in The study was approved by the ethical committees of the
a higher power (measured by five items developed by lead author’s university and the social welfare office.
the authors) differentiated between relapsed vs. abstinent
individuals in 75 Gamblers Anonymous (GA) members.
However, although belief in a higher power predicted mem-
Measures
bership in the abstinence group, it had less relative impact
than other variables such as attending and participation in Intrinsic spirituality scale
GA meetings (Oei and Gordon 2008). Overall, the critiques The ISS is a modified abbreviated version of the intrinsic
in studies which have probed the role of spirituality in sub- religion scale (Allport and Ross 1967) developed by Hodge
stance addiction might shed light on the inconsistent find- (2003). It measures the extent to which spirituality functions
ings in the gambling field (e.g. different definitions, use of as an individual’s master motive in life and is applicable to
invalid scales). Hence, the current study was developed to theistic and non-theistic individuals, within or outside reli-
determine factors related to intrinsic spirituality (assessed gion contexts. The scale is based on a sentence completion
using the Intrinsic Spirituality Scale (ISS), a previously vali- format in which one sentence is presented to the respond-
dated scales in independent samples) as it applies to GD, ents with a different response key for each item ranging
GD recovery and depression and anxiety. from 0 to 10. A sample item is: “When I think of the things
that help me to grow and mature as a person, my spiritu-
The current study ality … : (0) – “has no effect on my personal growth” and
10 – “is absolutely the most important factor in my personal
The current study examined the psychometric properties of growth”. Higher scores represent higher spirituality. The
the ISS (Hodge 2003) in individuals with GD and tested score is calculated as the mean of all items. The reliability
associations between intrinsic spirituality, DSM-5 GD and
reported by Hodge (2003) was .96 and in the current study
GD severity, and depression and anxiety symptoms. We
was .95.
predicted lower levels of intrinsic spirituality would be
found in individuals who had not recovered from GD than
in recovered individuals, and lower levels of intrinsic spir-
ituality would be associated with higher levels of GD sever- DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for GD (DSM-5, 2013)
ity, depression and anxiety. The criteria are based on responses to 9 yes/no items refer-
ring to the past year such as, “Has made repeated unsuc-
cessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop gambling.”
Method
Individuals were asked to respond in terms of their GD
Participants and procedure symptoms in the previous 12 months. The answers were
summed and were calculated both as a continuum that
The current study is part of a larger research project exam-
reflects GD severity, and as a dichotomous variable in
ining recovery resources in GD (Gavriel-Fried 2018; Gavriel-
which those who indicted 0 GD DSM-5 symptoms were
Fried & Lev-el 2018). One-hundred-and-forty Jewish indi-
considered recovered and those who acknowledged one or
viduals with lifetime GD with durations of recovery of up to
5 years with no comorbid addiction to other drugs or alco- more criteria were considered as non-recovered (Slutske
hol (according to the DSM-5) were recruited for this study et al. 2010). The reliability of this measure was a ¼ .91.
from five treatment centers in Israel. The first appeal to
potential participants who were treated in these centers
between 2011 and 2016 was made by the administrative staff The patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
of the treatment centers. Those who consented met indi- The PHQ-9 assesses the severity of depression using 9 items
vidually with the research team and completed the question- relating to the past 2 weeks based on DSM-IV criteria for
naire on a tablet using Qualtrics software. There were no depressive episodes (Kroenke and Spitzer 2002). Answers
missing data. The sample consisted of 101 men and 39 range from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day). Higher
women, aged 23–77 years (M ¼ 49.15, SD ¼ 13.93). In terms PHQ-9 scores represent greater depression. The original reli-
of religious backgrounds, 79 participants self-identified as ability reported in 2 different samples ranged from .89 to .86
secular, 51 as traditionally Jewish (i.e. individuals who iden- (Kroenke et al. 2001), and in this study was .84.
tify with the values of the Jewish faith, without strictly
observing all religious directives), and 10 as religiously
Jewish (i.e. following more faith-based practices). The mean
DSM-5 GD severity as assessed by inclusionary criteria Generalized anxiety disorder scale (GAD-7)
count in the previous 12 months was 2.56 (SD ¼ 3.10), and This instrument measures the presence of GAD in the previ-
67 participants declared zero past-year DSM-5 symptoms. A ous 2 weeks on 7 items (Spitzer et al. 2006). Responses
combination of lifetime GD and zero past-year DSM symp- range from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day). Higher
toms is a conservative definition of recovery (Slutske et al. scores represent higher anxiety levels. The reliability
2009). Individuals were compensated for their time with a reported in the original study was a ¼ .92 (Spitzer et al.
shopping 100 Israeli shekel shopping voucher (about $25). 2006), and in this study was .91.
4 B. GAVRIEL-FRIED ET AL.

Socio-demographic questionnaires severity to be significantly and positively associated with


Information on gender, age, and self-perceived religiosity depression and anxiety. Depression was found to be signifi-
(measured on ordinal scale ranging from 1 – secular to 4 cantly and positively associated with anxiety. Intrinsic spir-
Orthodox Jewish) was collected. ituality was not associated with GD severity, depression,
or anxiety.
Data analysis
Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs)
All analyses were performed using R software (Team 2016)
and the Lavaan package (Rosseel 2012). Descriptive statistics The CFA was specified considering intrinsic spirituality as
(i.e. means, standard deviations, skewness) were calculated. the only factor. The CFA provided an acceptable fit to the
Linear model analysis considering group (recovered and non- observed data (v2(9) ¼ 23.176, p ¼ .006; CFI ¼ 0.98; TLI ¼
recovered) as a predictor was performed to compare intrinsic 0.97; RMSEA ¼ 0.106 90%CI ¼ 0.05, 0.16). Good internal
spirituality between groups. Pearson’s correlation coefficients consistency was also observed (a ¼ 0.95). All factor loadings
were calculated to assess associations between intrinsic spir- were significant (p < .001) and ranged from 0.82 to 0.92.
ituality, age, gender, and religiosity. The only significant
correlation was between intrinsic spirituality and religiosity
(r(140) ¼ 0.47, p < .001); therefore, religiosity was included Differences between recovered and non-recovered
as a covariate of intrinsic spirituality. Pearson’s correlation individuals
coefficients were also employed to assess the strengths of the Linear model analysis revealed higher scores in the recov-
relationships between intrinsic spirituality, GD severity, ered relative to the non-recovered group for intrinsic spiritu-
depression and anxiety as well as gender and age. ality (recovered, 6.61 ± 2.94; non-recovered, 5.29 ± 3.10;
First, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted t ¼ 2.57, p ¼ .011, R2 ¼.04).
on the ISS scale, and then a structural equation model (SEM)
analysis was performed to test the hypothesized relationships
of intrinsic spirituality (controlling for religiosity) to both GD Relationships between intrinsic spirituality and GD
severity and psychopathology (depression and anxiety) by the severity and depression and anxiety
maximum likelihood (ML) estimator. In order to create To examine the hypothesized relationships among the latent
three indicators each for intrinsic spirituality, DSM-5 GD,
constructs, the SEM was tested using the ML estimator. The
and depression and anxiety, an item-parceling strategy was
tested model and the estimated standardized beta coefficients
employed using the loadings as a guide. Hence, groups of two
(b) are shown in Figure 1.
items or more were aggregated through summing or averag-
The structural model showed an acceptable fit to the data
ing into subsets, which in turn were treated as indicators of
(v2(57) ¼ 139.497, p < .001; CFI ¼ 0.94; TLI ¼ 0.92; RMSEA
the latent construct (Little et al. 2002). Internal consistencies
¼ 0.10, 90%CI ¼ 0.08, 0.12). Intrinsic spirituality negatively
of the ISS were assessed using Cronbach’s a. Goodness-of-fit
predicted GD severity (p ¼ .030; b ¼ 0.193) (Figure 1). In
was evaluated using the following indices (Schermelleh-Engel
contrast to our hypotheses, intrinsic spirituality did not stat-
et al. 2003): Chi square (v2), Comparative Fit Index (CFI;
istically predict depression (p ¼ .652; b ¼ 0.04) or anxiety
values greater than 0.95 were considered as indicating good
(p ¼ .706; b ¼ 0.03). Overall, the tested model account for
fit), Tucker Lewis index (TLI; values greater than 0.95 were
5% of the variance in GD severity, 2% of the variance in
considered as indicating acceptable fit), and Root Mean
depression, and 1% of the variance in anxiety.
Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA; values higher than
.10 were considered not acceptable).
Discussion
Results This study applied the ISS, which measures the extent to
which spirituality is considered a key motive governing
Descriptive statistics
individuals’ behaviors and decisions in many areas of life, in
Descriptive statistics including Pearson’s correlations are individuals with a lifetime gambling disorder. The scale dem-
reported in Table 1. Pearson correlations revealed GD onstrated good psychometric properties and distinguished

Table 1. Descriptive statistics and intercorrelations (n ¼ 140).


Descriptive Statistics Pearson’s correlations
Mean sd range skew 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1. Gender (39 females) – – – – 1
2. Age 49.16 13.93 54 0.11 0.49 1
3. Religiosity – – – – 0.01 0.04 1
4. Intrinsic spirituality 5.92 3.08 10 0.56 0.01 0.02 0.47 1
5. GD severity 2.56 3.10 9 0.81 0.06 0.02 0.02 0.13 1
6. Anxiety 4.76 5.44 21 1.36 0.05 0.08 0.09 0.06 0.40 1
7. Depression 5.99 5.69 24 1.19 0.02 0.15 0.08 0.00 0.49 0.82 1
p < .001.
ADDICTION RESEARCH & THEORY 5

Figure 1. Structural equation model of the relationship between intrinsic spiritually and gambling disorder (GD) severity, depression and anxiety with standardiza-
tion parameters. Asterisks indicates paths that were statically significant at p < .001.

between recovered and non-recovered individuals. Individuals their growth and recovery, and, like many do, encourage
with low levels of intrinsic spirituality also demonstrated them to participate in 12-step programs in addition to con-
higher levels of GD severity in a SEM. ventional treatment approaches. However, differences in def-
The findings resonate with those from previous studies of initions of spirituality should be considered. In terms of
individuals with substance-use disorders that have reported gambling research, given seemingly contradictory findings
spirituality as a protective factor from addictive behaviors which view spirituality both as a potential risk and protect-
and as a promotor of recovery (Koski-Jannes and Turner ive factor, future studies should investigate spirituality in
1999; Jarusiewicz 2000; Geppert et al. 2007; Koenig 2010; relation to types of gambling (Friedland 1998), and consider
Salas-Wright et al. 2013). The results thus suggest that spir- other factors that might moderate links between spirituality
ituality should be considered as an important factor that and gambling behaviors.
may operate similarly in GD as in substance-use disorders This study has limitations related to its cross-sectional
(Petry 2015; Goudriaan et al. 2019), and suggests a role for design that preclude causal inferences. Furthermore, partici-
spirituality in interventions for GD. The good psychometric pants completed self-report questionnaires without cross-
indices of the ISS in a clinical sample of individuals with references to other resources. Spirituality is a multidimen-
lifetime GD suggest it may be an effective tool to assess spir- sional construct that includes many kinds of practices and
ituality in populations with GD, and as such could be beliefs (Weathers et al. 2016). As intrinsic spirituality only
applied in future studies in the field. explained 5% of the variance in GD severity, it is possible
Interestingly, and in contrast to predictions, spirituality that other measures assessing more diverse elements of spir-
was not associated to depression and anxiety. This runs ituality may have captured more of the variance. Moreover,
counter to previous findings in individuals with substance- some of the reported RMSEA values were slightly above the
use disorders in which associations were observed (Diaz stated cutoff value of .10. However, it has been suggested
et al. 2011; And o et al. 2016; Horton et al. 2016). One meth- that models with a small sample sizes (for example, less than
odological reason could be related to the use of different 200 individuals) may have RMSEA values that can falsely
scales to measure different aspects of spirituality. Another indicate a poor model fit (Taasobshirazi and Wang 2016).
consideration involves differences in timeframes (in this Future studies involving larger samples should be under-
study, 2 weeks for anxiety and depression whereas GD taken to further examine this fit index. Finally, this study
recovery was assessed over 12 months). From a clinical per- was conducted in Israel and included solely Jewish individu-
spective, the findings suggest that spirituality may be a als. While the observations that Israel is predominantly secu-
resource in GD, despite comorbid depression and/or anxiety lar (Ruah-Midbar 2012) and only 7.14% of our participants
symptoms. As the clinical sample investigated here included defined themselves as more highly religious may suggest that
people who were being treated mainly for GD, spiritual the findings can be generalized to other Western secular
resources may have been engaged relatively early in treat- populations, direct investigation of this possibility is war-
ment to cope with GD-related problems. More studies ranted. Regardless, more studies should be conducted on
should be conducted to investigate a role for spirituality other populations in different cultural contexts.
over time in treatment of individuals with GD, including Despite limitations, this study validated the ISS in indi-
with respect to co-occurring psychiatric symptomatology. viduals with GD and points to a role for intrinsic spirituality
In practical terms, the findings suggest that spirituality- in GD recovery. As such, it paves the way for future studies
related factors could be beneficially integrated into treatment that should examine more dimensions of spirituality and
and research of GD. Therapists could encourage their spirituality in different sub-populations of individuals with
patients to explore spiritual elements that might facilitate GD and investigate possible mechanisms between spirituality
6 B. GAVRIEL-FRIED ET AL.

and GD, gambling behaviors and co-occurring disorders Garcia SDO, Babarro JM, Romero MDLPT. 2017. Spiritus contra spiri-
over time. tum: including spirituality in addiction treatments for recovery, a
systematic review. Univ J Psychol. 5(2):66–87.
Garfield CF, Isacco A, Sahker E. 2013. Religion and spirituality as
Funding important components of men’s health and wellness: an analytic
review. Am J Lifestyle Med. 7(1):27–37.
This study was supported by a seed grant awarded to Dr. Belle Gavriel-Fried B. 2018. The crucial role of recovery capital in individuals
Gavriel-Fried by the National Center for Responsible Gaming with a gambling disorder. J Behav Addict. 7(3):792–799.
(NCRG) in 2017. Dr. Potenza’s involvement was supported by the Gavriel-Fried B, Lev-el N. 2018. Mapping and conceptualizing recovery
National Center for Responsible Gaming, the Connecticut Council capital of recovered gamblers. Am J Orthopsychiatry. DOI:10.1037/
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Geppert C, Geppert C, Bogenschutz MP, Geppert C, Bogenschutz MP,
Miller WR, Miller WR. 2007. Development of a bibliography on reli-
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Gerwood JB. 1998. The existential vacuum in treating substance-related
Belle Gavriel-Fried http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5528-5339 disorders. Psychol Rep. 83(3_suppl):1394–1394.
Tania Moretta http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4734-1545 Goudriaan AE, van den Brink W, van Holst RJ. 2019. Gambling dis-
Marc N. Potenza http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6323-1354 order and substance-related disorders: similarities and differences.
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