Title “Psychosocial consequences of impulsivity in stock market trading of options and futures versus long term investment in equity”

BACKGROUND: Historically, trading or investing in stock market has been considered a form of gambling. Addiction of trading in stock market equipment of options and futures considered to be associated with poor impulse control. AIM: The aim of this study was to compare the trait impulsivity of those trading in stock market of equipment’s like futures and options versus long term equity and further psychosocial consequences of it. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional comparative observational study conducted among doctors of tertiary care center.15 doctors who trade in equipment’s like futures and options were compared with 15 doctors who trade in long term equity. BIS-11, HDRS and HAM-A were used to assess the impulsivity, anxiety and depression. Other variables were assessed using a semi-structured pro forma. Comparative analysis was done using unpaired t-test and one-way ANOVA. Correlation was done using Pearson’s correlation test. RESULTS: Those subjects with higher impulsivity on BIS-11 scoring were found to make more impulsive financial decisions by investing in futures and options (p –value 0.00001) and incur huge losses (p-value 0.00001) and were associated with more prevalence off anxiety(p-value 0.000017) and depression(p-value 0.000019) and had affected their social lives than those with subjects who make well informed financial decision to invest in long term equity markets. CONCLUSIONS: impulsivity is associated with more reckless financial decisions and eventually associated with prevalence of anxiety and depression.