Gender and Responsible Gambling in Spain. The Social Gambling Questionnaire for Women (SGQW-47), a new screening instrument

Objective: The aim of this study is to develop a questionnaire to assess responsible gambling habits in females of the general population, to explore its psychometric properties and to compare the results between a community sample and a clinical sample of patients with gambling disorder. We also aim at providing empirical evidence of the gambling habits among Spanish females. Method: Two samples were selected to develop the questionnaire and to explore gambling habits in female Spanish population. The clinical sample was recruited from the Pathological Gambling Unit at the University Hospital of Bellvitge (Barcelona, Spain), comprising 30 patients. The community sample was recruited from individuals visiting the hospital for the Dentistry and Chiropody Departments, placed at the same university hospital and it comprised 316 females. Results: The questionnaire showed high values for sensitivity and specificity, discriminating between patients with gambling disorder and healthy controls. More than a 3% of the females from the community sample presented a problematic gambling behavior. In relation to predictors of gambling behavior, low socioeconomic status emerged as the unique socio-demographic factor for problematic gambling. Moreover, the illusion of winning money through gambling or feeling better by gambling were powerful stimulators of gambling behavior. Conclusions: Despite being male is strongly associated with the development of problem gambling, females can also be considered "at risk gamblers" themselves. To explore gambling habits of this population, identifying potentially harmful behaviors, in order to maintain responsible gambling habits, may contribute to the development of prevention and education programs promoting the general health of the community

Typologies of young pathological gamblers based on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics

Objective: the aim of this study is to explore empirical clusters within the population of young Spanish individuals attending outpatient pathological gambling treatment. Method: the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R), the Temperament and Character Inventory-R (TCI-R) and other clinical and psychopathological measures were administered to 154 patients (between 17 and 25 years old). The two-step cluster analysis explored the presence of empirical heterogeneous groups based on clinical and socio-demographic characteristics. Results: three clusters of young pathological gambling patients emerged. Type I showed less psychopathology and more functional personality traits. Type II showed a profile characterized by major emotional distress, shame, immaturity, hostility and negative feelings. Type III showed the most severe psychopathological profile and most psychopathological disturbances and schizotypal traits. Conclusions: these results suggest that three distinct endophenotypes exist, and that environmental factors have a stronger influence in the first, while in the second and third, individual factors related to deficits of emotional regulation stand out

Clinical, psychopathological, and personality characteristics associated with ADHD among individuals seeking treatment for gambling disorder

Objectives: (1) To assess the current presence of ADHD symptoms among patients seeking treatment for gambling disorder; (2) to explore clinical and sociodemographic differences between patients who score high and low on the measure of ADHD symptoms; (3) to analyze whether the presence of ADHD symptoms is associated with more severe psychopathology and with specific personality traits; (4) to analyze the mediating role of ADHD symptoms in the relationship between novelty seeking and gambling severity. Method: A total of 354 consecutive patients were administered an extensive battery assessing gambling behavior, psychopathology, and personality traits. Results: Male and female gamblers did not differ significantly in their mean scores on the ADHD measure. However, younger participants aged 18-35 scored higher. Higher ADHD scores were also associated with greater severity of gambling disorder and more general psychopathology. Regarding personality traits, high persistence and self-directedness were negatively related to ADHD scores, while in women alone a positive correlation was found between ADHD scores and scores on harm avoidance and self-transcendence. Conclusion: The presence of ADHD symptoms in both male and female gambling disorder patients may act as an indicator of the severity of gambling, general psychopathology, and dysfunctional personality traits

Comparative analysis of distinct phenotypes in gambling disorder based on gambling preferences

Background: studies examining gambling preferences have identified the importance of the type of gambling practiced on distinct individual profiles. The objectives were to compare clinical, psychopathological and personality variables between two different groups of individuals with a gambling disorder (strategic and non-strategic gamblers) and to evaluate the statistical prediction capacity of these preferences with respect to the severity of the disorder. Method: a total sample of 2010 treatment-seeking patients with a gambling disorder participated in this stand-alone study. All were recruited from a single Pathological Gambling Unit in Spain (1709 strategic and 301 non-strategic gamblers). The design of the study was cross-sectional and data were collected at the start of treatment. Data was analysed using logistic regression for binary outcomes and analysis of variance (ANOVA) for quantitative responses. Results: there were significant differences in several socio-demographic and clinical variables, as well as in personality traits (novelty seeking and cooperativeness). Multiple regression analysis showed harm avoidance and self-directedness were the main predictors of gambling severity and psychopathology, while age at assessment and age of onset of gambling behaviour were predictive of gambling severity. Strategic gambling (as opposed to non-strategic) was significantly associated with clinical outcomes, but the effect size of the relationships was small. Conclusions: it is possible to identify distinct phenotypes depending on the preference of gambling. While these phenotypes differ in relation to the severity of the gambling disorder, psychopathology and personality traits, they can be useful from a clinical and therapeutic perspective in enabling risk factors to be identified and prevention programs targeting specific individual profiles to be developed

Comparative analysis of distinct phenotypes in gambling disorder based on gambling preferences

Studies examining gambling preferences have identified the importance of the type of gambling practiced on distinct individual profiles. The objectives were to compare clinical, psychopathological and personality variables between two different groups of individuals with a gambling disorder (strategic and non-strategic gamblers) and to evaluate the statistical prediction capacity of these preferences with respect to the severity of the disorder. A total sample of 2010 treatment-seeking patients with a gambling disorder participated in this stand-alone study. All were recruited from a single Pathological Gambling Unit in Spain (1709 strategic and 301 non-strategic gamblers). The design of the study was cross-sectional and data were collected at the start of treatment. Data was analysed using logistic regression for binary outcomes and analysis of variance (ANOVA) for quantitative responses. There were significant differences in several socio-demographic and clinical variables, as well as in personality traits (novelty seeking and cooperativeness). Multiple regression analysis showed harm avoidance and self-directedness were the main predictors of gambling severity and psychopathology, while age at assessment and age of onset of gambling behaviour were predictive of gambling severity. Strategic gambling (as opposed to non-strategic) was significantly associated with clinical outcomes, but the effect size of the relationships was small. It is possible to identify distinct phenotypes depending on the preference of gambling. While these phenotypes differ in relation to the severity of the gambling disorder, psychopathology and personality traits, they can be useful from a clinical and therapeutic perspective in enabling risk factors to be identified and prevention programs targeting specific individual profiles to be developed

Typologies of young pathological gamblers based on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics

Objective: the aim of this study is to explore empirical clusters within the population of young Spanish individuals attending outpatient pathological gambling treatment. Method: the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R), the Temperament and Character Inventory-R (TCI-R) and other clinical and psychopathological measures were administered to 154 patients (between 17 and 25 years old). The two-step cluster analysis explored the presence of empirical heterogeneous groups based on clinical and socio-demographic characteristics. Results: three clusters of young pathological gambling patients emerged. Type I showed less psychopathology and more functional personality traits. Type II showed a profile characterized by major emotional distress, shame, immaturity, hostility and negative feelings. Type III showed the most severe psychopathological profile and most psychopathological disturbances and schizotypal traits. Conclusions: these results suggest that three distinct endophenotypes exist, and that environmental factors have a stronger influence in the first, while in the second and third, individual factors related to deficits of emotional regulation stand out

Clinical, psychopathological and personality characteristics associated with ADHD among individuals seeking treatment for gambling disorder

OBJECTIVES: (1) To assess the current presence of ADHD symptoms among patients seeking treatment for gambling disorder; (2) to explore clinical and sociodemographic differences between patients who score high and low on the measure of ADHD symptoms; (3) to analyze whether the presence of ADHD symptoms is associated with more severe psychopathology and with specific personality traits; (4) to analyze the mediating role of ADHD symptoms in the relationship between novelty seeking and gambling severity. METHOD: A total of 354 consecutive patients were administered an extensive battery assessing gambling behavior, psychopathology, and personality traits. RESULTS: Male and female gamblers did not differ significantly in their mean scores on the ADHD measure. However, younger participants aged 18-35 scored higher. Higher ADHD scores were also associated with greater severity of gambling disorder and more general psychopathology. Regarding personality traits, high persistence and self-directedness were negatively related to ADHD scores, while in women alone a positive correlation was found between ADHD scores and scores on harm avoidance and self-transcendence. CONCLUSION: The presence of ADHD symptoms in both male and female gambling disorder patients may act as an indicator of the severity of gambling, general psychopathology, and dysfunctional personality traits.status: publishe

A Spanish Validation of the Canadian Adolescent Gambling Inventory (CAGI)

Aims: Large-scale epidemiological studies show a significant prevalence of gambling disorder (GD) during adolescence and emerging adulthood, and highlight the need to identify gambling-related behaviors at early ages. However, there are only a handful of screening instruments for this population and many studies measuring youth gambling problems use adult instruments that may not be developmentally appropriate. The aim of this study was to validate a Spanish version of the Canadian Adolescent Gambling Inventory (CAGI) among late adolescent and young adults and to explore its psychometric properties. Methods: The sample (16-29 years old) included a clinical group (n = 55) with GD patients and a control group (n = 340). Results: Exploratory factor analysis yielded one factor as the best model. This 24-item scale demonstrated satisfactory reliability (internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha, α = 0.91), satisfactory convergent validity as measured by correlation with South Oaks Gambling Screen (r = 0.74), and excellent classification accuracy (AUC = 0.99; sensitivity = 0.98; and specificity = 0.99). Conclusion: Our results provide empirical support for our validation of the Spanish version of the CAGI. We uphold that the Spanish CAGI can be used as a brief, reliable, and valid instrument to assess gambling problems in Spanish youth

Is Gambling Disorder associated with impulsivity traits measured by the UPPS-P and is this association moderated by sex and age?

OBJECTIVES: Impulsivity is a construct that is strongly associated with Gambling Disorder (GD). The main objectives in the present study are: 1) to explore the role of sex and age on impulsivity levels in GD patients; 2) to identify the relationship of the different impulsivity facets with comorbid psychopathology and other personality traits in GD patients; and (3) to assess whether impulsivity is a predictor for the severity of GD. METHOD: The final sample consisted of 406 consecutive participants. All of them were seeking treatment for GD (88.4% male and 11.6% female) and completed the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale, the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R), the Temperament and Character Inventory-R (TCI-R) as well as other clinical and psychopathological measures. RESULTS: Results show a negative linear trend between age and lower sensation seeking levels as well as lack of premeditation (the higher the age the lower the UPPS-P scores), and a positive linear trend between age and positive urgency (UR) (the higher the age the higher the UPPS-P score). However, no sex differences were found for the assessed impulsivity dimensions. Lack of perseverance was positively associated with obsessive-compulsive symptoms and harm avoidance trait, and negatively related to persistence and self-directedness traits. Positive UR and negative UR were positively correlated with general psychopathology and the total number of DSM-IV criteria, and negatively associated to the following personality traits: self-directedness and cooperativeness. Finally, only the sensation seeking and negative UR of the UPPS-P showed predictive capacity on the severity of the disorder (the higher the impulsivity scores the higher the illness severity). CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the association between impulsivity traits (measured by the UPPS-P) and GD in a large and consecutively recruited clinical sample with GD, taking into account the variables sex and age.publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Is gambling disorder associated with impulsivity traits measured by the UPPS-P and is this association moderated by sex and age? journaltitle: Comprehensive Psychiatry articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2016.10.005 content_type: article copyright: © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.status: publishe

Clinical, psychopathological, and personality characteristics associated with ADHD among individuals seeking treatment for gambling disorder

Objectives: (1) To assess the current presence of ADHD symptoms among patients seeking treatment for gambling disorder; (2) to explore clinical and sociodemographic differences between patients who score high and low on the measure of ADHD symptoms; (3) to analyze whether the presence of ADHD symptoms is associated with more severe psychopathology and with specific personality traits; (4) to analyze the mediating role of ADHD symptoms in the relationship between novelty seeking and gambling severity. Method: A total of 354 consecutive patients were administered an extensive battery assessing gambling behavior, psychopathology, and personality traits. Results: Male and female gamblers did not differ significantly in their mean scores on the ADHD measure. However, younger participants aged 18-35 scored higher. Higher ADHD scores were also associated with greater severity of gambling disorder and more general psychopathology. Regarding personality traits, high persistence and self-directedness were negatively related to ADHD scores, while in women alone a positive correlation was found between ADHD scores and scores on harm avoidance and self-transcendence. Conclusion: The presence of ADHD symptoms in both male and female gambling disorder patients may act as an indicator of the severity of gambling, general psychopathology, and dysfunctional personality traits