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International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction

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01-10-2016

The Prevalence, Mental Health and Criminal Characteristics of Potential Problem Gamblers in a Substance Using Treatment Seeking Population

Authors: Courtney Rudd, Stuart D. M. Thomas

Published in: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction | Issue 5/2016

Abstract

Some recent evidence suggests that problem gambling presents at elevated rates among treatment samples of substance users; if so, there may be significant implications for treatment. This study utilised a retrospective clinical case file review of all clients assessed for entry into a residential substance use service in Australia over a calendar year. Fifty-seven (21.4 %) of the 266 participants were classified as potential problem gamblers. Potential problem gamblers (PPGs) were not associated with increased psychological and social vulnerability; but displayed phenomenology divergent from single substance addiction, indicative of impulsivity. PPGs were more likely to be male, have a personality disorder, and be associated with a broader pattern of criminality, particularly crimes associated with financial gain. These findings challenge the recent re-conceptualisation of problem gambling, suggesting that problem gambling within treatment populations of substance users should be treated as a disorder adjacent to substance addiction, associated with distinct and specific phenomenology.

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Title: The Prevalence, Mental Health and Criminal Characteristics of Potential Problem Gamblers in a Substance Using Treatment Seeking Population
Authors: Courtney Rudd
Stuart D. M. Thomas
Publication date: 01-10-2016
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction / Issue 5/2016
Print ISSN: 1557-1874
Electronic ISSN: 1557-1882
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-015-9604-8

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

The Prevalence, Mental Health and Criminal Characteristics of Potential Problem Gamblers in a Substance Using Treatment Seeking Population

Abstract

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

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