Sex differences in the rates of recovery, treatment-seeking, and natural recovery in pathological gambling: results from an Australian community-based twin survey.
The aim of this study was to estimate the rates of recovery, treatment-seeking, and natural recovery from pathological gambling (PG) in men and women in a community-based national survey, and to examine the role of gambling problem recognition in recovery from PG. Participants were 4,764 individuals from a community-based Australian national twin registry (104 with a lifetime history of PG) who were administered a structured psychiatric telephone interview. Women were more likely than men to recover from (56% versus 36%; odds ratio = 2.3) and to seek treatment for PG (32% versus 13%; odds ratio = 3.2). Most individuals who recovered from PG did so without treatment (82%), but this was higher among men than among women (92% versus 57%; odds ratio = 5.3). This is the first study to document sex differences in treatment-seeking and recovery from PG. These findings highlight the value in continuing to develop self-help and brief treatments for PG that will appeal to those who are unlikely to seek formal help.
Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, United States. SlutskeW@missouri.edu
Wendy S
WS
Slutske
Alex
A
Blaszczynski
Nicholas G
NG
Martin
D001315:Australia; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000523:psychology; D003625:Data Collection; D004200:Diseases in Twins / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000523:psychology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic / Q000523:psychology; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic / Q000523:psychology