title: Gender differences among recreational gamblers: association with the frequency of alcohol use.
abstract: This study examines the interactive effects of alcohol use and gender on health and gambling attitudes and behaviors in recreational gamblers. The Gambling Impact and Behavior Study (D. Gerstein et al., 1999) surveyed by telephone 2,417 adults targeted to be representative of the U.S. adult population. The authors compared male and female recreational gamblers (n = 1,471) who were stratified by frequency of alcohol use on measures of health and gambling. Significant Gender x Alcohol Use group interactions were observed such that moderate-to-high frequency alcohol consumption correlated with heavier gambling in men than in women, whereas such an association did not exist among abstinent or low frequency drinkers. There were few gender differences in the correlations between alcohol consumption and health. Future research should consider gender-related influences when examining alcohol use and gambling behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Health Research and the Division of Substance Abuse of the Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA. rani.desai@yale.edu
authors.forename: Rani A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Desai
authors.forename: Paul K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Maciejewski
authors.forename: Michael V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Pantalon
authors.forename: Marc N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Potenza
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D007174:Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000523:psychology*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011998:Recreation / Q000523:psychology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*