Association between problem gambling and conduct disorder in a national survey of adolescents and young adults in the United States.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this analysis is to examine the relationship between current problem gambling and current conduct disorder.


METHODS
Data were analyzed for a U.S. national survey of respondents aged 14-21 years.


RESULTS
A strong co-morbidity between current problem gambling and current conduct disorder was found. However, this co-morbidity was much stronger among younger respondents, declined in strength with increasing age, and was absent among the oldest respondents. Further analyses showed that early-onset problem gamblers had a higher risk for conduct disorder than late-onset problem gamblers.


CONCLUSIONS
Gambling problems that emerge early are likely to be part of a general pattern of problem behavior, whereas gambling problems that emerge later may have an etiology unique to gambling.
Welte
John W
JW
Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14203, USA. welte@ria.buffalo.edu
Barnes
Grace M
GM
Tidwell
Marie-Cecile O
MC
Hoffman
Joseph H
JH
D000293:Adolescent; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000209:etiology*; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult