Cognitive distortions and gambling behaviors: which came firts? Analyzing the relationship between superstitious beliefs and pathological gambling

The aim of this study was to explore if and which specific cognitive biases play a role in predicting pathological gambling or, on the contrary, they are consequences of gambling behaviors. We recruited for this study 343 participants, divided in two groups: I) 79 Pathological gamblers and II) 264 No problematic gamblers. Data were analyzed using a series of analyses of variance and linear regression analyses. Our results suggest the presence of a vicious circle where cognitive distortions and gambling behaviors affect each other in an articulate and complex way. The dynamics and implications of these results are discussed