Multiple Co-occurring Behaviours among Gamblers in Treatment: Implications and Assessment

Abstract

A substantial portion of gamblers in treatment may have co-occurring mental health disorders including substance use disorders, especially alcohol dependency, personality disorders, affective disorders, anxiety disorders and impulse control disorders. Co-occurring mental health disorders affect treatment seeking, the treatment process and its outcome, quality of life and functioning in many mental health disorders. Participants in this study were 78 adults enrolled in state-supported out-patient services for pathological gambling and current Gamblers Anonymous attendees. The majority of participants (76.6%) had co-occurring behaviours; 55.8% had multiple co-occurring behaviours. Participants with multiple co-occurring behaviours were more likely to report that a co-occurring behaviour increased the severity of their gambling symptoms. A dose/response relationship between number of co-occurring behaviours and severity of gambling problems was found. Co-occurring behaviours can interact with gambling behaviour. Brief, validated screening instruments are available for screening and diagnosing co-occurring behaviours among gamblers presenting for treatment.

Correlates of At-risk Gambling Behaviors of Homeless Youth

“…Furthermore, no association between specific mental health diagnosis (depression, anxiety) and at-risk gambling behaviors was found. These data do not corroborate clinical and epidemiological studies observing association between depression or anxiety and problematic gambling [32,[67][68][69]. Lack of association between anxiety and depression diagnosis and atrisk gambling behavior might be caused by the use of a robust clinical diagnosis in the present study, while other studies often use selfreported data or less robust screening tools.…”

Online self-guided interventions for the treatment of problem gambling

“…Among problem drinkers, 88% of problem drinkers reporting having access to the Internet; 81% gaining access from the home. Given that problem gambling is often co-morbid with substance abuse and alcohol use (Hodgins et al, 2011;Shaffer & Martin, 2011;Westphal & Johnson, 2007), it is reasonable to suggest that these results imply that problem gamblers also have ready access to the Internet.…”

The Relationship Between Problem Gambling and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

“…These findings, which imply that a significant minority of problem gamblers seeking treatment for their gambling problems report ADHD symptomatology, are important in understanding individual treatment needs and outcomes as the presence of psychiatric comorbidities such as ADHD may have implications for individual case formulation, treatment planning and selection, the proposed objectives and expectations of the selected treatment, the length and success of treatment, an individual's compliance with treatment, the likelihood of relapse, and the number of treatment attempts (Dowling et al 2015;Ibanez et al 2001;Kausch 2003;Kruedelbach et al 2006;Westphal and Johnson 2007). Given the heterogeneity in prevalence estimates identified in previous studies of treatmentseeking problem gamblers (Dowling et al 2015), it is important that further research attempts to clarify the degree to which ADHD is present in treatment-seeking problem gamblers.…”