Prevalence of Problem Gambling: A Replication Study 7 Years Later

• Published in: Canadian journal of psychiatry Vol. 44; no. 8; pp. 802 - 804
• Main Authors: Ladouceur, Robert, Jacques, Christian, Ferland, Francine, Giroux, Isabelle
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.10.1999; Canadian Psychiatric Association; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Anxiety disorders. Neuroses; Biological and medical sciences; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Gambling; Gambling - psychology; Gambling addiction; Humans; Incidence; Male; Medical sciences; Obsessive-compulsive disorders; Personality Inventory - statistics & numerical data; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Quebec - epidemiology; Canada; North America; America; Quebec; Quebec Canada; availability and pathological gambling; prevalence; pathological gambling; Social environment; Human; Pathological gambling; Impulse control disorder; Prevalence; Follow up study; Mental health; Evolution; Public health
• ISSN: 0706-7437; 1497-0015
• DOI: 10.1177/070674379904400807

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between availability of gambling activities and participation in gambling, maximum amount of money lost in 1 day to gambling, and number of pathological gamblers. Method: Two random samples (1002 and 1257 adults) were surveyed 7 years apart using the South Oaks Gambling Screen to identify pathological gamblers. Results: Seven years later, significantly more people reported having gambled, and the number of pathological gamblers had increased by 75%. Conclusions: These findings support the hypothesis that increases in the availability of gambling are related to increases in the number of problem gamblers.