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Pathological gambling has severe consequences for adolescents and their families and friends. Despite its high prevalence, pathological gambling in adolescents has been insufficiently studied. Sensation seeking and impulsivity are two variables that are related to the appearance and maintenance of pathological gambling. However, few studies have determined the role these variables play in the development of the dysfunctional symptomatology of gambling behavior in adolescents and young adults. The aims of this study were to analyze the consequences of gambling in young adults and adolescents, and to evaluate the roles of sensation seeking and impulsivity in the appearance of dysfunctional symptomatology. The sample consisted of 1,241 young adults and adolescents recruited from scholar centers and free-time groups, as well as 71 subjects from associations that assist pathological gamblers. Pathological gambling, impulsive behavior, dysfunctional symptomatology and sensation seeking were assessed. The results confirmed that young adults and adolescents who gamble pathologically have more dysfunctional symptomatology related to anxiety, depression, hostility, obsessive-compulsive behavior and somatization, as well as sensation seeking, impulsivity and addictive behavior. Moreover, the results showed that sensation seeking did not mediate the appearance of dysfunctional symptomatology and that impulsivity partially mediated the appearance of anxiety, phobic anxiety, depression and psychosis and perfectly mediated somatization, obsessive-compulsive behavior, interpersonal sensitivity, paranoid ideation and hostility. These results have consequences for the development of treatment and prevention programs for adolescent pathological gambling.

ResumenNowadays, gambling is increasing as a more frequent problem among the young people. In order to shed light about the physiological correlates of the three phases that were identified in the roulette gambling game (phase of betting, phase of watching the rotation of the roulette and phase of watching the final result), 24 participants, with no pathological gambling problems, participated in three attempts of this game. Heart rate, skin conductance level and skin conductance response were recorded. The resultsshowed that betting phase is the phase where highest arousal is experienced by the participants, followed by the phase of watching the rotation of the roulette. Likewise, it was verified that not getting the prize provokes a quick habituation that is evidenced in the decrease of the arousal in the second phase. Finally, clinical implications of the results are discussed.Keywords: Gambling, Heart rate, Skin conductance level, Skin conductance response, Habituation.En la actualidad, el juego de apuesta constituye un problema cada vez más grave entre la gente joven. Con el objetivo de arrojar luz sobre los correlatos fisiológicos de las tres fases identificadas en un juego de apuesta como es el de la ruleta (fase de apuesta, fase de ver girar la ruleta y fase de visualización del resultado), 24 participantes sin problemas de juego patológico llevaron a cabo tres ensayos de este juego, mientras se registraba la tasa cardiaca, el nivel de conductancia eléctrica de la piel y la respuesta de conductancia eléctrica de la piel. Los resultados mostraron que la fase que mayor activación genera es la de realización de la apuesta, seguida por la de ver girar la ruleta. Igualmente se vio que el hecho de no conseguir premio produce una brusca habituación que se evidencia en la caída del nivel de activación en la segunda fase. Se comentan las implicaciones clínicas de estos hallazgos.