title: Psychological Characteristics of Problem Gamblers With and Without Mood Disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Problem and pathological gamblers are significantly more likely to experience mood disorders, compared with the general population. Our study examined the relation of psychological characteristics (personality, trait impulsiveness, and gambling motives) to current co-occurring mood disorder (major depression and dysthymia) status among problem and pathological gamblers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Problem and pathological gamblers (N = 150) underwent a clinical interview to assess current co-occurring mood disorders; participants completed measures of problem gambling severity, personality, impulsiveness, and gambling motives.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Problem and pathological gamblers with a current co-occurring mood disorder were more likely to be female, older, and to report higher lifetime and past-year gambling severity. A co-occurring mood disorder was associated with higher personality scores for alienation and stress reaction, lower scores for well-being, social closeness, and control, as well as higher impulsiveness scores for urgency and lack of premeditation, and lower sensation seeking scores. Participants with a co-occurring mood disorder also reported higher coping motives for gambling. Multivariate logistic regression analyses demonstrated that personality factors (lower social closeness and higher alienation) contributed to the greatest likelihood of being diagnosed with a co-occurring mood disorder.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mood disorders frequently co-occur with problem and pathological gambling, and they are associated with greater gambling severity. These findings highlight that interpersonal facets of personality contribute substantially to co-occurring mood disorder status. Implications for treatment will be discussed.
authors.affiliation: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Substance Abuse Research Division, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.
authors.forename: Jamey J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Lister
authors.affiliation: Director, Centre for Interpersonal Relationships, Ottawa, Ontario.
authors.forename: Aleks
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Milosevic
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Substance Abuse Research Division, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan; Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Ledgerwood
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015897:Comorbidity; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D019263:Dysthymic Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality / Q000502:physiology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult