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Problem Gambling and PTSD: Fast Facts

In a study of military veterans entering treatment for PTSD (Biddle et al., 2005), 17 percent met DSM-IV criteria for PG. In another study (Kausch et al., 2006), among 111 veterans entering a gambling treatment program, 64 percent reported a history of emotional trauma; 40.5 percent, physical trauma; and 24.3 percent, sexual trauma; most trauma had occurred in childhood.

In another study of treatment-seeking problem gamblers, similar associations were found and a significant gender difference was discovered, with women reporting more childhood abuse than men (Petry & Steinberg, 2005).

In an early study, Taber et al. (1987) found a 23 percent rate of major traumatic events in a sample of pathological gamblers seeking treatment. In a study of 843 elderly adults, 11 percent were identified as "at risk" gamblers, with PTSD symptoms one of the strongest predictors (Levens et al., 2005).

Among treatment-seeking pathological gamblers, 34 percent had a high level of PTSD symptoms with the latter assessed by self-report checklist (Ledgerwood & Petry, 2006).

PTSD among problem gamblers is estimated at 12.5 percent to 29 percent (Ledgerwood & Petry, 2006).

Studies have identified basic characteristics of those with trauma history (or PTSD) and pathological gambling. The common pattern appears to be greater pathology and worse functioning among pathological gamblers with a trauma history (or PTSD) than those without. Taber et al. (1987) found increased depressive, anxiety and substance abuse symptoms, and greater personality style of avoidance among those with trauma. Petry and Steinberg (2005) found an association between greater severity of childhood abuse and both earlier age of gambling onset and more severe gambling problems. Ledgerwood and Petry (2006) found greater lifetime gambling severity, psychiatric symptom severity, impulsivity, and dissociation in high- versus low PTSD subjects.

Kausch et al. (2006) observed that history of trauma was associated with a greater frequency of suicide attempts and drug and alcohol dependence, more severe scores in measures of psychiatric distress, and limited effects on personality functioning.

PTSD is known to be under studied, under diagnosed and under treated relative to the more commonly diagnosed mood and anxiety disorders that commonly co-occur with it and/or are misdiagnosed instead of it (Davidson, 2001; Dansky et al., 1997). The reasons for this disparity include: more psychopharmacologic treatments available for mood and anxiety disorders than for PTSD (psychiatrists are more likely to focus on disorders other than PTSD), many addiction treatment professionals fear that if they diagnose PTSD they will have to treat it despite being untrained; and treatment programs do not routinely assess for PTSD (Davidson, 2001; Dansky et al., 1997).

A new study, funded by the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Center, is presently under way (Korn and Najavits, 2007) to more fully determine the connection between PTSD and problem gambling.

Source: www.responsiblegambling.org/en/research/PTSD_PG_proposal.pdf