The prevalence and impact of major life stressors among pathological gamblers.
Major traumatic events were discovered in the histories of 23% of pathological gamblers seeking hospital treatment. These high-trauma patients were compared with groups of gambler patients who had experienced insignificant, low, or moderate amounts of life trauma. High-trauma patients tended, as measured by standard psychometrics, to be more depressed, anxious, and avoidant in personality style; they were also more likely to be abusing alcohol or other drugs. In their discussion the authors focus on the concept of learned dysthymia, a chronic state of negative affect related to cumulative life trauma and seemingly instrumental in potentiating addictive euphoria.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005715:Gambling / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D012309:Risk-Taking; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000523:psychology