title: Gambling onset and progression in a sample of at-risk gamblers from the general population.
abstract: The goal of this study was to investigate gambling-related behavior, onset and progression in a sample of at-risk gamblers from the community. A national household survey was conducted in Brazil, covering individuals 14 years old or older. Subjects were screened for at-risk gambling, those testing positive answered a questionnaire about gambling progression, preferred games and DSM-IV pathological gambling criteria. Out of 3007 respondents, 118 were considered at-risk gamblers according to the Lie/Bet Questionnaire. According to the DSM-IV, 32.7% and 24.9% of those were considered problem and pathological gamblers, respectively. Early at-risk gamblers (onset prior to 20 years of age), were more likely to be male, to prefer non-commercially structured games, and to chase losses while gambling. Young pathological gamblers (under 35 years of age) progressed faster from regular to problem gambling (roughly 2 years) than mature pathological gamblers (12 years). Such findings had not been described before because previous reports focused mostly on clinical samples that lack young, male, early-onset gamblers. Gambling programs have not satisfactorily covered this segment of gamblers. Outreach strategies and early interventions should be provided to prevent these individuals from rapidly evolving into pathological gambling.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia para Políticas do Álcool e Outras Drogas (INPAD, National Science and Technology Institute for Public Policies on Alcohol and Other Drugs) of the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, National Council for Scientific and Technological Development), São Paulo, Brazil; Addictions and Other Impulse Control Disorders Unit, Santa Casa da Misericórdia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Electronic address: Elizabeth.buba@uol.com.br.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Carneiro
authors.affiliation: Gambling Outpatient Unit, Institute and Department of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Hermano
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tavares
authors.affiliation: Ipsos-Reid, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Marcos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sanches
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia para Políticas do Álcool e Outras Drogas (INPAD, National Science and Technology Institute for Public Policies on Alcohol and Other Drugs) of the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, National Council for Scientific and Technological Development), São Paulo, Brazil; The Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ilana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pinsky
authors.affiliation: University of Texas School of Public Health, Dallas, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Raul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Caetano
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia para Políticas do Álcool e Outras Drogas (INPAD, National Science and Technology Institute for Public Policies on Alcohol and Other Drugs) of the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, National Council for Scientific and Technological Development), São Paulo, Brazil; The Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zaleski
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia para Políticas do Álcool e Outras Drogas (INPAD, National Science and Technology Institute for Public Policies on Alcohol and Other Drugs) of the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, National Council for Scientific and Technological Development), São Paulo, Brazil; The Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ronaldo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Laranjeira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D017668:Age of Onset; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003625:Data Collection; D003710:Demography; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012306:Risk; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Community sample; Gambling sub-population; Gambling trajectory; Pathological gambling