Comorbid physical and mental illnesses among pathological gamblers: Results from a population based study in Singapore

Subramaniam, Mythily; Abdin, Edimansyah; Vaingankar, Janhavi Ajit; Wong, KokSheik; Chong, Siow Ann

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2015.03.033

Cited by 18 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…The prevalence rates of pathological gambling (0.94%) and problem gambling (1.2%) in our study are lower than that found in western and eastern Asian countries (Castren et al., 2013; Cox, Yu, Afifi, & Ladouceur, 2005; Hodgins, Stea, & Grant, 2011; Kessler et al., 2008; Kun et al., 2012; Lorains, Cowlishaw, & Thomas, 2011; Park et al., 2010; Subramaniam et al., 2015). This may due to the use of different research instruments and the fact that many kinds of gambling asked in the CIDI are less available in Thailand.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The prevalence of problem gambling in western countries including England (Cowlishaw & Kessler, 2016), Finland (Castren et al., 2013), and Hungary (Kun, Balazs, Arnold, Paksi, & Demetrovics, 2012) ranges between 0.7% and 1.9% with rate as high as 3.0% in South Korea (Park et al., 2010). Furthermore, the prevalence of pathological gambling varies between 1.1% (Italy and Spain) and 6.5% (Estonia) in European countries (Kun et al., 2012), while it was 0.8% in South Korea (Park et al., 2010) and 2.7% in Singapore (Subramaniam, Abdin, Vaingankar, Wong, & Chong, 2015). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Gambling disorders, gambling type preferences, and psychiatric comorbidity among the Thai general population: Results of the 2013 National Mental Health Survey

et al. 2016

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Background and aimsTo estimate the prevalence of problem and pathological gambling, gender and age-group differences in gambling types, and comorbidities with other psychiatric disorders among the Thai general population.MethodsAnalysis was conducted on 4,727 participants of Thailand’s 2013 National Mental Health Survey, a multistage stratified cluster survey, using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Diagnoses of problem and pathological gambling and other psychiatric disorders were based on the DSM-IV-TR criteria with the following additional criteria for gamblers: more than 10 lifetime gambling episodes and a single year loss of at least 365 USD from gambling.ResultsThe estimated lifetime prevalence rates of pathological and problem gambling were 0.90% [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.51–1.29] and 1.14% (95% CI: 0.58–1.70), respectively. The most popular type of gambling was playing lotteries [69.5%, standard error (SE) = 1.9], the prevalence of which was significantly higher among females and older age groups. The most common psychiatric disorders seen among pathological gamblers were alcohol abuse (57.4%), nicotine dependence (49.5%), and any drug use disorder (16.2%). Pathological gambling was highly prevalent among those who ever experienced major depressive episodes (5.5%), any drug dependence (5.1%), and intermittent explosive disorder (4.8%). The association between pathological gambling was strongest with a history of major depressive episode [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 10.4, 95% CI: 2.80–38.4].ConclusionThe study confirms the recognition of gambling disorders as a public health concern in Thailand and suggests a need for culturally specific preventive measures for pathological gamblers and those with a history of substance use disorders or major depression.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Gambling disorders, gambling type preferences, and psychiatric comorbidity among the Thai general population: Results of the 2013 National Mental Health Survey

et al. 2016

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“…While research has found that engagement in recreational gambling has significant correlations with health and health risk behaviours, problem or pathological gamblers may be at increased risk of adverse health and behavioural issues (Subramaniam et al 2015). Pathological gambling is defined as a distinct disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) and has been found to be highly comorbid with other DSM-V disorders (American Psychological Association 2013), including mood, anxiety, attention-deficit and personality disorders (Petry et al 2005;el-Guebaly, et al 2006;Lorains et al 2011;Specker et al 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gambling with Your Health: Associations Between Gambling Problem Severity and Health Risk Behaviours, Health and Wellbeing

et al. 2019

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The current study examined the association between gambling problem severity and health risk behaviours, health and wellbeing. A cross-sectional survey (including representative population and supplementary convenience samples) was conducted with 2303 adult residents of a British Island. Gambling problem severity was assessed using the Problem Gambling Severity Index. The EQ-5D-5L, WEMWBS and AUDIT-C were used to measure general health, mental wellbeing and alcohol use, respectively. Other measures included diet, physical exercise and tobacco use. Differences between gambling severity levels for each measure were analysed using logistic regression adjusting for age, sex and income. Compared to non-problem gamblers, moderate/high severity gamblers had higher odds of a poor diet, low physical exercise and poor general health. Tobacco use was associated with both low and moderate/high severity gambling. Low severity, but not moderate/high severity gambling, was significantly associated with binge and higher risk drinking behaviours. Health risk behaviours tended to cluster, with a graded relationship between gambling problem severity and odds of reporting at least two health risk behaviours. Compared to non-problem gamblers, low severity gamblers were approximately twice as likely and moderate/high severity gamblers were three times as likely, to have low mental wellbeing. Findings suggest associations between gambling problems and a range of health risk behaviours and health issues, and crucially that such issues are not limited to gamblers with the highest severity of problems. Addressing gambling across the whole continuum of risk should be a key public health priority.

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“…Gambling is a socially accepted and popular activity among the Chinese and often occurs during festive seasons such as the Chinese New Year. Gambling is, however, forbidden according to the tenets of Islam which is the predominant religion of the Malay population in Singapore, thus gambling participation and gambling disorder is significantly lower among the Malays as compared to those of Chinese ethnicity [23,24]. Few studies have focused on gambling trends among the Indians, and not much is known about their gambling behavior, though a previous study has shown that prevalence of pathological gambling is lower among Indians as compared to Chinese [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gambling is, however, forbidden according to the tenets of Islam which is the predominant religion of the Malay population in Singapore, thus gambling participation and gambling disorder is significantly lower among the Malays as compared to those of Chinese ethnicity [23,24]. Few studies have focused on gambling trends among the Indians, and not much is known about their gambling behavior, though a previous study has shown that prevalence of pathological gambling is lower among Indians as compared to Chinese [23]. Studies have also shown that gambling is a popular activity among older adults in Singapore with the lifetime participation rate (of gambling) among older adults reported as 56.2% and 48.9% in two recent studies [25,26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive distortions among older adult gamblers in an Asian context

et al. 2017

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AimsThe study aims to describe the construct of cognitive distortions based on the narratives of older adult gamblers (aged 60 years and above) in Singapore.MethodsSingapore residents (citizens or permanent residents) aged 60 years and above, who were current or past regular gamblers were included in the study. Participants were recruited using a combination of venue based approach, referrals from service providers as well as by snowball sampling. In all, 25 in-depth interviews were conducted with older adult gamblers. The six-step thematic network analysis methodology was adopted for data analysis.ResultsThe mean age of the participants was 66.2 years. The majority were male (n = 18), of Chinese ethnicity (n = 16), with a mean age of gambling initiation at 24.5 years. Among older adult gamblers, cognitive distortions emerged as a significant global theme comprising three organizing themes–illusion of control, probability control and interpretive control. The organizing themes comprised nine basic themes: perception of gambling as a skill, near miss, concept of luck, superstitious beliefs, entrapment, gambler’s fallacy, chasing wins, chasing losses, and beliefs that wins are more than losses.ConclusionsCognitive distortions were endorsed by all gamblers in the current study and were shown to play a role in both maintaining and escalating the gambling behaviour. While the surface characteristics of the distortions had a culture-specific appearance, the deeper characteristics of the distortions may in fact be more universal than previously thought. Future research must include longitudinal studies to understand causal relationships between cognitive distortions and gambling as well as the role of culture-specific distortions both in the maintenance and treatment of the disorder.

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Comorbid physical and mental illnesses among pathological gamblers: Results from a population based study in Singapore

Cited by 18 publications

References 53 publications

Gambling disorders, gambling type preferences, and psychiatric comorbidity among the Thai general population: Results of the 2013 National Mental Health Survey

Gambling disorders, gambling type preferences, and psychiatric comorbidity among the Thai general population: Results of the 2013 National Mental Health Survey

Gambling with Your Health: Associations Between Gambling Problem Severity and Health Risk Behaviours, Health and Wellbeing

Cognitive distortions among older adult gamblers in an Asian context

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