A systematic literature review of studies on attitudes towards gambling using the Attitudes Towards Gambling Scale (ATGS)

Abstract

Several studies have investigated attitudes toward gambling using the Attitudes Towards Gambling Scale (ATGS), however, their findings have not previously been synthesized or systematically reported. Thus, we conducted a systematic literature review on studies employing the ATGS to summarize the current evidence. Database searches were conducted in January 2022 in Cinahl, Embase, PsycInfo, Pubmed, Web of Science, GreyNet, and Google Scholar. Papers were included if they presented data based on the ATGS and were published in a European language. Twenty-six papers presenting the results from 23 unique studies met the inclusion criteria. Two reviewers independently extracted the data and assessed the risk of bias. Most of the studies were cross-sectional and used the short (8-item) version of ATGS. The synthesis indicates an overall incline towards negative attitudes. More positive attitudes were associated with being male, younger age, and higher gambling frequency. Studies were divergent in findings concerning problem gambling and gambling attitudes, which could be due to variance in problem gambling severity in the samples. The current evidence base is encumbered by limitations in study quality and designs. Future research should emphasize longitudinal designs, include non-western samples, and investigate the directionality and causality of variables associated with attitudes towards gambling.