Table 2.
Baseline characteristics of the patients according to their randomization group
| Median [lower quartile (Q1)−upper quartile (Q3)] or number (%) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Group 1 active rTMS–sham rTMS (n = 15) | Group 2 sham rTMS–active rTMS (n = 16) | |
| Sociodemographic characteristics | ||
| Sex (% males) | 14 (93.33%) | 13 (81.25%) |
| Age (years) | 33 (28–42) | 39 (34.5–56) |
| Gambling characteristics | ||
| Favorite type of game | ||
| “Pure chance games” | 6 (40.00%) | 7 (43.75%) |
| “Chance games with pseudo skills” | 4 (26.67%) | 8 (50.00%) |
| “Chance games with elements of skills” | 5 (33.33%) | 1 (6.25%) |
| Usual medium of game | ||
| Offline | 10 (66.67%) | 13 (81.25%) |
| Online | 5 (33.33%) | 3 (18.75%) |
| Severity of pathological gambling (number of DSM-IV diagnostic criteria) | 7 (6–8) | 6 (5–7) |
| Disease history (years) | 5 (2–9) | 9 (5–17) |
| Gambling-related cognitions | ||
| GRCS total score (/161) | 79 (66–95) | 85 (72–104) |
| GRCS-GE (/28) | 16 (14–21) | 14 (12–22) |
| GRCS-IC (/28) | 4 (4–8) | 7 (4–17) |
| GRCS-PC (/42) | 20 (16–24) | 22 (16–26) |
| GRCS-IS (/35) | 27 (17–29) | 25 (20–29) |
| GRCS-IB (/28) | 17 (11–23) | 18 (10–20) |
| Craving | ||
| Baseline | 3.00 (1–5) | 4.25 (1.25–5.25) |
| Cue-induced | 7.00 (6–10) | 8.5 (6.5–10) |
Note. GRCS: Gambling Related Cognitions Scale; GRCS-GE: GRCS-Gambling-related Expectancies; GRCS-IC: GRCS-Illusion of Control; GRCS-PC: GRCS-Predictive Control; GRCS-IS: GRCS-Inability to Stop gambling; GRCS-IB: GRCS-Interpretative Bias; rTMS: repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation.