Prevalence and Health Correlates of Gambling Problems in Substance Abuse Counselors

Abstract

This study examined the prevalence of disordered gambling in substance abuse counselors. Participants (N = 328) completed an anonymous self-report survey assessing lifetime disordered gambling, past two-month gambling behavior, and current mental and physical health. The lifetime prevalence rates of pathological and problem gambling in this sample (11.9% and 6.4%, respectively) were higher than rates reported in general population surveys. Poorer physical health was associated with pathological gambling, but mental health was not. These results suggest that substance abuse counselors may benefit from education, prevention, and intervention efforts for disordered gambling.

Yohimbine-Induced Amygdala Activation in Pathological Gamblers: A Pilot Study

“…The latter term typically refers to a situation where prior exposure to one stimulus (e.g., drug) increases subsequent response to itself [68]–[71] and to a different stimulus (e.g., stress) [62]–[64] and in the reversed order, enhancement of drug motivational states e.g., craving [72], [73] following prior stress exposure [65]. Indeed, the sensitized stress responses in PG are mostly conspicuous in the context of gambling and gambling-related cues [7]–[12], whereas stress is a key factor responsible for gambling urges [20] inherent in the chronically relapsing nature of PG [17]–[19]. This raises the possibility of overlapping and sensitized neuropsychobiological systems engaged by stress- and gambling-related stimuli in patients with PG.…”

Psychosocial Stress and Its Relationship to Gambling Urges in Individuals with Pathological Gambling

“…Although pathological gambling (PG) is conceptualized as an impulse control disorder, 1 included within the obsessive‐compulsive spectrum, 2 it is also a prototype nonpharmacological addiction 3,4 sharing with pharmacological addictions 12–20% of the gene variance 5,6 along with the key clinical characteristics, eg, tolerance, withdrawal, loss of control, unsuccessful attempts to quit, illegal activities and forfeiting of important social/occupational responsibilities 1 . The overall lifetime prevalence of problem and/or pathological gambling in the general adult population is estimated to be about 5%, 7–9 with substantially higher rates in men, adolescents, and the elderly 9–11 . The annual cost of PG to the American society due to crime, decreased productivity, and bankruptcies is estimated to be around $54 billion, 12 which is about half the cost of the substance use disorders (SUDs).…”

Pathological Gambling in Treatment-Seeking Alcoholics: A National Survey in France

“…No evaluation has yet been done of the French general population; however, it can be hypothesized that the prevalence of pG in France is in the range of prevalence reported in other developed countries, from 0.5% in Switzerland (Bondolfi et al, 2008) to 2.6% in Canada (Cox et al, 2004). Thus, the prevalence of pG is about three times higher in patients with addiction disorders than in the general population, a feature already reported elsewhere (Toneatto and Brennan, 2002;Weinstock et al, 2006). There are only a few standardized questionnaires designed to identify pG, the best known being the SOGS (Lesieur and Blume, 1987), the DSM IV-TR diagnostic criteria of pG (Stinchfield et al, 2005), the problem gambling severity index (Holtgraves, 2009) and the DEBA test; all have been validated although some reports have pointed out that they need some improvement (Holtgraves, 2009;Stinchfield, 2002;Stinchfield et al, 2005).…”

“…The prevalence of pG was 6.5%, a rate similar to that found in a US sample of treatment-seeking abusers (Weinstock et al, 2006) and close to that observed in an alcoholic population (Sellman et al, 2002). No evaluation has yet been done of the French general population; however, it can be hypothesized that the prevalence of pG in France is in the range of prevalence reported in other developed countries, from 0.5% in Switzerland (Bondolfi et al, 2008) to 2.6% in Canada (Cox et al, 2004).…”