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Gender Differences in the Temporal Sequencing of Problem Gambling with Other Disorders

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Abstract

Gender differences in the temporal sequencing of problem gambling and other disorders was investigated in a sample of 267 gamblers, recruited from treatment centres. There were 144 men (54 %) with a mean age of 40.58 years and 123 women with a mean age of 48.72 years. All participants completed a survey assessing age of first onset for problem gambling and age of first onset for mood and substance abuse disorders. Results revealed that women tended to experience other disorders before the first onset of problem gambling, whereas men tended to experience other disorders after the first onset of problem gambling. Data are also provided showing the mean number of years between the initial episode of problem gambling and other disorders. Results are discussed in relation to treatment implications and the limitations of retrospective data.

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Acknowledgments

This study was commissioned by Gambling Research Australia, a partnership between the Commonwealth, State, and Territory Governments. Gambling Research Australia provided financial support for this project and approved this manuscript for publication.

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Correspondence to John Haw.

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The author has received funding support and provided consultancies to organisations directly and indirectly benefiting from gambling, including Australian governments and industry operators.

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All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000 (5). Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study

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Haw, J., Holdsworth, L. Gender Differences in the Temporal Sequencing of Problem Gambling with Other Disorders. Int J Ment Health Addiction 14, 687–699 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-015-9601-y

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