The association between gambling pathology and personality disorders.
Research supports increased risk of problem gambling (PG) and pathological gambling disorder (PGD) among individuals with substance abuse/dependence and psychiatric disorders, but studies considering personality disorder comorbidity have not adjusted for confounding relationships with other Axis I disorders. Using targeted advertising, we enrolled 153 gamblers (55% female; 32% minority; Mean age=47; SD=18.2) in a clinical validation study of the newly developed computerized gambling assessment module (C-GAM). For these analyses, we classified gamblers into three groups based on their endorsement of DSM-IV PGD: Non-gamblers (0 criteria; n=64; 44%); PG (1-4 criteria; n=60; 41%); and PGD (5-10 criteria; n=22; 15%). We evaluated PG and PGD risk associated with personality disorder pathology using the computerized structured clinical interview of DSM-IV Axis II (SCID-II). Using multinomial logistic regression, we found increased odds of PGD among individuals with greater symptoms of borderline personality disorder after adjusting for socio-demographics, substance abuse/dependence and other personality disorders significant at the bivariate level. Yet after adjusting for depressive symptoms, borderline personality disorder criteria were nonsignificant, suggesting a complex relationship between personality pathology, depression, and gambling. These findings bolster the position that further investigation is needed regarding the association of gambling pathology with personality disorders and depressive symptoms.
Sacco
Paul
P
George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, One Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1196, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA. psacco@gwbmail.wustl.edu
Cunningham-Williams
Renee M
RM
Ostmann
Emily
E
Spitznagel
Edward L
EL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012306:Risk