Drivers of adolescent chasing behavior: The role of craving, decision-making, alcohol use, and gambling severity

Craving and impaired decision-making are hallmark features of addiction, playing a prominent role in gambling disorder. These factors are central to loss-chasing behavior, a core diagnostic criterion of gambling dependence characterized by persistent attempts to recover prior losses. This study examines the interplay of craving, affective decision-making, decision-making styles, alcohol use, and gambling severity in chasing behavior among 272 Italian adolescents aged 14–19. Participants completed validated measures, including the South Oaks Gambling Screen-Revised for Adolescents (SOGS-RA), Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), General Decision-Making Style (GDMS), Gambling Craving Scale (GACS), and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Chasing behavior was assessed using a computerized task, with participants randomly assigned to either a Control or Loss condition. Regression and path analyses indicated that craving was the strongest predictor of both chasing initiation and persistence, while alcohol consumption was uniquely associated with greater chasing persistence. Conversely, a dependent decision-making style emerged as a protective factor, being associated with reduced engagement in chasing behavior. Notably, neither gambling severity (measured by the SOGS-RA) nor affective decision-making capacity (assessed via the IGT) predicted chasing outcomes. These findings suggest that chasing operates as an independent behavioral mechanism within gambling disorder, distinct from generalized gambling severity or neurocognitive decision-making deficits.