title: Comparative analysis of distinct phenotypes in gambling disorder based on gambling preferences.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies examining gambling preferences have identified the importance of the type of gambling practiced on distinct individual profiles. The objectives were to compare clinical, psychopathological and personality variables between two different groups of individuals with a gambling disorder (strategic and non-strategic gamblers) and to evaluate the statistical prediction capacity of these preferences with respect to the severity of the disorder.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total sample of 2010 treatment-seeking patients with a gambling disorder participated in this stand-alone study. All were recruited from a single Pathological Gambling Unit in Spain (1709 strategic and 301 non-strategic gamblers). The design of the study was cross-sectional and data were collected at the start of treatment. Data was analysed using logistic regression for binary outcomes and analysis of variance (ANOVA) for quantitative responses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were significant differences in several socio-demographic and clinical variables, as well as in personality traits (novelty seeking and cooperativeness). Multiple regression analysis showed harm avoidance and self-directedness were the main predictors of gambling severity and psychopathology, while age at assessment and age of onset of gambling behaviour were predictive of gambling severity. Strategic gambling (as opposed to non-strategic) was significantly associated with clinical outcomes, but the effect size of the relationships was small.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is possible to identify distinct phenotypes depending on the preference of gambling. While these phenotypes differ in relation to the severity of the gambling disorder, psychopathology and personality traits, they can be useful from a clinical and therapeutic perspective in enabling risk factors to be identified and prevention programs targeting specific individual profiles to be developed.
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, c/ Feixa Llarga s/n, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. lmoragas@bellvitgehospital.cat.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moragas
authors.affiliation: Ciber Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Spain), Barcelona, Spain. Roser.Granero@uab.cat.|Departament de Psicobiologia i Metodologia de les Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. Roser.Granero@uab.cat.
authors.forename: Roser
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Granero
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minnesota, USA. stinc001@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Randy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stinchfield
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, c/ Feixa Llarga s/n, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. ffernandez@bellevitgehospital.cat.|Ciber Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Spain), Barcelona, Spain. ffernandez@bellevitgehospital.cat.|Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. ffernandez@bellevitgehospital.cat.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fernández-Aranda
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. frida.froberg@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Frida
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fröberg
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, c/ Feixa Llarga s/n, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. naymami@bellvitgehospital.cat.
authors.forename: Neus
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aymamí
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, c/ Feixa Llarga s/n, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. monicagomez@bellvitgehospital.cat.
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gómez-Peña
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, c/ Feixa Llarga s/n, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. bfagundo@bellvitgehospital.cat.|Ciber Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Spain), Barcelona, Spain. bfagundo@bellvitgehospital.cat.
authors.forename: Ana B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Fagundo
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, c/ Feixa Llarga s/n, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. mohammed.islam@bellvitgehospital.cat.|Ciber Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Spain), Barcelona, Spain. mohammed.islam@bellvitgehospital.cat.
authors.forename: Mohammed A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Islam
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, c/ Feixa Llarga s/n, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. adelpino@ub.edu.|Departament d'Infermeria de Salut Pública, Salut Mental i Maternoinfantil, Escola Universitària d'Infermeria, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. adelpino@ub.edu.
authors.forename: Amparo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Del Pino-Gutiérrez
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, c/ Feixa Llarga s/n, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. zaguera@bellvitgehospital.cat.|Ciber Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Spain), Barcelona, Spain. zaguera@bellvitgehospital.cat.
authors.forename: Zaida
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Agüera
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, c/ Feixa Llarga s/n, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. nellyboop@yahoo.gr.
authors.forename: Lamprini G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Savvidou
authors.affiliation: Leicester Eating Disorders Service, Leicester General Hospital, Leicester, UK. J.Arcelus@lboro.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arcelus
authors.affiliation: Leicester Eating Disorders Service, Leicester General Hospital, Leicester, UK. G.L.Witcomb@lboro.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Gemma L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Witcomb
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, c/ Feixa Llarga s/n, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. sarah.sauchellit@bellvitgehospital.cat.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sauchelli
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, c/ Feixa Llarga s/n, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. jmenchon@bellvitgehospital.cat.|Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. jmenchon@bellvitgehospital.cat.|CIBER Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain. jmenchon@bellvitgehospital.cat.
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Menchón
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, c/ Feixa Llarga s/n, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. sjimenez@bellvitgehospital.cat.|Ciber Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Spain), Barcelona, Spain. sjimenez@bellvitgehospital.cat.|Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. sjimenez@bellvitgehospital.cat.
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Murcia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality; D010641:Phenotype; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology