Gambling and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD) in a Population of French Students

Abstract

Attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADD/ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that can be exacerbated by psychosocial factors. Various studies confirm that the severity of a psychiatric disorder, particularly when it comes to ADHD, is strongly correlated with the amount of use. This study (1) evaluated the association between ADHD and gambling among young students; (2) determined which symptom among ADHD's three symptoms (attention deficit, hyperactivity, or impulsivity) had the strongest association with video game addiction and gambling; and (3) determined the impact of the association between ADHD and video game addiction and gambling on self-esteem and academic performance of students. A total of 720 students (445 males and 274 females) were recruited from eight higher educational institutions of Ile de France. They all completed a battery of questionnaire consisting of Canadian Problem Gambling Index, UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale, Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS), Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) and Rosenberg scales, and socio-demographic data. 13.33% of the participants had symptoms of ADHD during childhood (WURS scale score) and 40.41% of them have symptoms of ADHD in adulthood (ASRS score). Finally, among the participants, 37.5% had excessive gambling addiction, have positive results on WURS and ASRS scales, thus having a probable ADHD, whereas 14.55% had no gambling addiction. The results demonstrated that adult ADHD was associated with gambling addiction. Significant associations were observed between ADHD and impulsivity, academic difficulties and gambling addiction. The association between ADHD and gambling seems to be common among vulnerable populations such as adolescents and could be related to variables such as self-esteem, which appears to potentially worsen the prognosis. Further research on this relationship is needed to optimize prevention strategies and effective treatment.

A Revision of the Relationship between Gambling Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Parkinson´s Disease

“…Finally, Aymami and his research group suggest that the presence of adhd in subjects with gambling disorder may be an index of playing severity, general abnormal mental health, and abnormal personality traits (Aymami et al, 2015). 5) Even in the normal population, with like subjects in general (Aymami et al, 2015) and young students (Romo et al, 2014), research supports the relationship between adhd and gambling disorder.…”

“…Another investigation explored the relationship between gambling, adhd and console play disorder in a group of young students (Romo et al, 2014). For this purpose, students from (n = 720, 62 % men and 38 % women) French higher education institutions were evaluated by means of questionnaires, including the Canadian Problem Gambling Index, upps (urgency, premeditation, perseverance, sensation seeking) Wender Utah Rating Scale, Impulsive Behavior Scale, Rosenberg scales, Adult adhd Self-Report Scale, and socio-demographic information.…”

“…The study found a relationship between adhd and gambling disorder; also, adhd was linked to impulsivity, school problems, and gambling disorder. Furthermore, the relationship between gambling disorder and adhd was more frequent in some age clusters like teenagers and might be linked to personal self-esteem, which seems to potentially impair the recovery (Romo et al, 2014).…”

ADHD, Lifestyles and Comorbidities: A Call for an Holistic Perspective – from Medical to Societal Intervening Factors

“…A French study tested almost 1000 college students with five assessment inventories including the Wender-Utah, ASRS-V1, UPPS, Rosenberg Scale and CPPG to assess both ADHD in childhood and in adulthood. It revealed that the Adult ADHD Hyperactive Impulsive presentation is highly correlated with problematic gambling and had the highest rates of video game addiction (Romo et al, 2015). …”

Psychosocially supporting the teenager with ADHD

“…His parents do, however, have a right to worry, because research suggests young people with ADHD, due to the impulsivity, are more vulnerable to risk taking behaviour, thrill seeking or making immature judgements. Consequently research suggest they are more likely to develop substance misuse problems (2), gambling habits (14) or be at increased risk of having a car collision or getting in trouble with the law (2).…”