Problem Gambling and Psychiatric Comorbidity-Risk and Temporal Sequencing Among Women and Men: Results from the Swelogs Case-Control Study - PubMed (original) (raw)

Comparative Study

Problem Gambling and Psychiatric Comorbidity-Risk and Temporal Sequencing Among Women and Men: Results from the Swelogs Case-Control Study

Kristina Sundqvist et al. J Gambl Stud. 2019 Sep.

Abstract

It is well known that many problem gamblers also suffer from other psychiatric conditions. However, knowledge regarding the temporal sequencing of the conditions is lacking, as well as insight in possible gender specific patterns. The aim of this study was to examine the risk for psychiatric comorbidity among problem gamblers compared to non-problem gamblers in the general Swedish population, as well as the age of onset and the temporal sequencing of problem gambling and the comorbid psychiatric conditions among lifetime problem gamblers. A case-control study nested in the Swelogs cohort was used. For both the female and the male problem gamblers, the risk for having had a lifetime psychiatric condition was double or more than double compared to the controls. Having experienced anxiety or depression before gambling onset, constituted a risk for developing problem gambling for the women but not for the men. Further, the female cases initiated gambling after their first period of anxiety, depression and problems with substances, and problem gambling was the last condition to evolve. Opposite this, the male cases initiated gambling before any condition evolved, and depression and suicidal events emerged after problem gambling onset. There were large differences in mean age of onset between the female cases and their controls, this was not the case for the males. Gender specific patterns in the association between problem gambling and psychiatric comorbidity, as well as in the development of problem gambling needs to be considered in treatment planning as well as by the industry in their advertising.

Keywords: Comorbidity; Gambling disorder; Gambling problems; Problem gambling; Psychiatric conditions.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ingvar Rosendahl declares that he has no conflict of interest. While Kristina Sundqvist has no current or past direct affiliations with the gambling industry, she has received funding from the Svenska Spel research council. This research council is financed by the state-owned gambling company Svenska Spel.

Figures

Fig. 1

Fig. 1

Mean age of onset for female cases and controls and standard errors. The dotted line marks the mean age for problem gambling among the female cases

Fig. 2

Fig. 2

Mean age of onset for male cases and controls and standard errors. The dotted line marks the mean age for problem gambling among the male cases

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