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The Global Prevalence of Problem and Pathological Gambling and Its Associated Factors Among Individuals with Substance Use Disorders: A Meta-analysis

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Abstract

The present systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the prevalence, sociodemographic factors, mental health disorders, and type of drug use disorders associated with problem/pathological gambling among individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs). Published studies before January 1, 2023, were reviewed. Out of 8351 papers initially identified, 61 studies remained for meta-analysis. The findings indicated that among individuals with SUDs there was a lifetime pooled prevalence rate of 23% for at-risk gambling disorder (GD), 19% for problem gambling, and 17% for pathological gambling. The pooled lifetime prevalence of SUDs among individuals with problem/pathological gambling was 18%. The findings indicated that individuals with SUDs who were male, had depressive and mood disorders, and had alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use disorders were more likely to report problem and/or pathological gambling. Consideration of type of substance use and individuals’ mental health disorders during primary treatment could be useful for reducing GD among individuals with SUDs.

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Data Availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

CIs:

Confidence intervals

GD:

Gambling disorder

PGSI:

Problem Gambling Severity Index

MeSH terms:

Medical Subject Headings

NOS:

Newcastle-Ottawa Scale

ORs:

Odds ratios

PECOS:

Population, exposures, comparison, outcome, and study design

PRISMA:

Protocols of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

DSM-5:

The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

NODS:

The National Opinion Research Center DSM Screen for Gambling Problems

SOGS:

The South Oaks Gambling Screen

SUDs:

Substance use disorders (SUDs)

References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Saveh University of Medical Sciences, Saveh, Iran

    Bahram Armoon & Amir-Hossien Bayat

  2. International Gaming Research Unit, Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK

    Mark D. Griffiths

  3. Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Marie-Josée Fleury

  4. Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Marie-Josée Fleury

  5. Social Determinants of Health Research Center, School of Health and Nutrition, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran

    Rasool Mohammadi

  6. Department of Neuroscience, School of Sciences and Advanced Technology in Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Science, Hamadan, Iran

    Amir-Hossien Bayat

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Contributions

BA conceived the study. BA collected all data. RM and BA analyzed and interpreted the data. BA and AHB drafted the manuscript. BA, MJF, and MDG contributed to the revised paper, and MDG was responsible for all final editing. All authors commented on the drafts of the manuscript and approved the final copy of the paper for submission.

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The present study was an analysis of preexisting literature and did not use human participants.

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The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest except MDG. MDG has received research funding from Norsk Tipping (the gambling operator owned by the Norwegian government). MDG has received funding for a number of research projects in the area of gambling education for young people, social responsibility in gambling, and gambling treatment from GambleAware (formerly the Responsibility in Gambling Trust), a charitable body which funds its research program based on donations from the gambling industry. MDG undertakes consultancy for various gambling companies in the area of social responsibility in gambling.

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Armoon, B., Griffiths, M.D., Fleury, MJ. et al. The Global Prevalence of Problem and Pathological Gambling and Its Associated Factors Among Individuals with Substance Use Disorders: A Meta-analysis. Int J Ment Health Addiction (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-023-01167-y

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