The “Pathological Gambling and Epidemiology” (PAGE) study program: design and fieldwork

Abstract

The German federal states initiated the "Pathological Gambling and Epidemiology" (PAGE) program to evaluate the public health relevance of pathological gambling. The aim of PAGE was to estimate the prevalence of pathological gambling and cover the heterogenic presentation in the population with respect to comorbid substance use and mental disorders, risk and protective factors, course aspects, treatment utilization, triggering and maintenance factors of remission, and biological markers. This paper describes the methodological details of the study and reports basic prevalence data. Two sampling frames (landline and mobile telephone numbers) were used to generate a random sample from the general population consisting of 15,023 individuals (ages 14 to 64) completing a telephone interview. Additionally, high-risk populations have been approached in gambling locations, via media announcements, outpatient addiction services, debt counselors, probation assistants, self-help groups and specialized inpatient treatment facilities. The assessment included two steps: (1) a diagnostic interview comprising the gambling section of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) for case finding; (2) an in-depth clinical interview with participants reporting gambling problems. The in-depth clinical interview was completed by 594 participants, who were recruited from the general or high-risk populations. The program provides a rich epidemiological database which is available as a scientific use file.

Explaining the relation between pathological gambling and depression: Rumination as an underlying common cause

“…Data were obtained from an epidemiological study on pathological gambling [Pathological Gambling and Epidemiology (PAGE); Meyer et al., 2015] in Germany. Proactive and reactive recruitment strategies were used to reach a sufficient number of participants representing different levels of gambling problems.…”

“…Proactive and reactive recruitment strategies were used to reach a sufficient number of participants representing different levels of gambling problems. Participants were drawn from the general population and from populations with a high risk of gambling problems, i.e., gambling location visitors, people undergoing treatment for pathological gambling, or volunteers responding to media announcements (for further details, see Meyer et al., 2015). Participants from the general population, gambling location visitors, and people undergoing treatment for pathological gambling were proactively recruited as study personnel actively reached out to them in their respective settings.…”

“…For participation in the in-depth clinical interview, all participants were offered an incentive of 100€ (c.f. Meyer et al., 2015). …”

Alterations in DNA-methylation of the dopamine-receptor 2 gene are associated with abstinence and health care utilization in individuals with a lifetime history of pathologic gambling

“…The study was part of the German Stability of Recovery in Pathological Gamblers (STARPAG) study, a follow-up of the large project Pathological Gambling and Epidemiology (PAGE) (Bischof et al, 2013;Meyer et al, 2015). The study was approved by the local ethics committee.…”

“…Impulsivity was assessed using the Barrat Impulsivity Scale (BIS). For more detailed information on the study design of PAGE see Meyer et al, 2015.…”