Gambling disorder in minority ethnic groups
Gambling disorder in minority ethnic groups
Background: Although the data on racial/ethnic associations with gambling disorder are limited, studies suggest that ethnicity may have associations with both symptom severity and psychosocial impairment linked to gambling disorder. Based on the current literature, we hypothesized that there would be a difference in gambling symptom severity, and co-occurring disorders, as a function of racial-ethnic group. Methods: 475 adults (mean age = 47.6 (±11.6) years; 54.3 % females) with gambling disorder who had participated in clinical trials on pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy were included. Participants were assessed for gambling severity, comorbidities, health issues, quality of life and psychosocial functioning. Participants who self-identified as Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) were compared to those who self-identified as white Caucasian (non-BAME). Significance was defined as p < 0.01. Results: The BAME group had significantly earlier age of first gambling. The two groups did not differ significantly in terms of age when gambling first became problematic, disability, current gambling disorder symptom severity, previous suicide attempt(s), quality of life, percent of salary in past year lost to gambling, or likelihood of having received treatment for gambling disorder in the past, nor in terms of having used Gamblers Anonymous. Conclusions: These data show that having gambling disorder and being from a minority racial-ethnic group was associated with significantly earlier age at first gambling, in clinical trial settings. Future work should further examine differences in the clinical features of gambling disorder in different minority groups in larger sample sizes, ideally also longitudinally, across a range of settings. Identification of the reasons/mechanisms for differences in earlier age of first gambling may lead to new public health and treatment targets to minimize gambling harms.
Grant, Jon E.
68b74bfc-0910-4325-aa34-24d285abfc19
Chamberlain, Samuel
8a0e09e6-f51f-4039-9287-88debe8d8b6f
January 2023
Grant, Jon E.
68b74bfc-0910-4325-aa34-24d285abfc19
Chamberlain, Samuel
8a0e09e6-f51f-4039-9287-88debe8d8b6f
Grant, Jon E. and Chamberlain, Samuel
(2023)
Gambling disorder in minority ethnic groups.
Addictive Behaviors, 136 (January 2023), [107475].
(doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107475).
Abstract
Background: Although the data on racial/ethnic associations with gambling disorder are limited, studies suggest that ethnicity may have associations with both symptom severity and psychosocial impairment linked to gambling disorder. Based on the current literature, we hypothesized that there would be a difference in gambling symptom severity, and co-occurring disorders, as a function of racial-ethnic group. Methods: 475 adults (mean age = 47.6 (±11.6) years; 54.3 % females) with gambling disorder who had participated in clinical trials on pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy were included. Participants were assessed for gambling severity, comorbidities, health issues, quality of life and psychosocial functioning. Participants who self-identified as Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) were compared to those who self-identified as white Caucasian (non-BAME). Significance was defined as p < 0.01. Results: The BAME group had significantly earlier age of first gambling. The two groups did not differ significantly in terms of age when gambling first became problematic, disability, current gambling disorder symptom severity, previous suicide attempt(s), quality of life, percent of salary in past year lost to gambling, or likelihood of having received treatment for gambling disorder in the past, nor in terms of having used Gamblers Anonymous. Conclusions: These data show that having gambling disorder and being from a minority racial-ethnic group was associated with significantly earlier age at first gambling, in clinical trial settings. Future work should further examine differences in the clinical features of gambling disorder in different minority groups in larger sample sizes, ideally also longitudinally, across a range of settings. Identification of the reasons/mechanisms for differences in earlier age of first gambling may lead to new public health and treatment targets to minimize gambling harms.
Text
BAME status and gambling
- Accepted Manuscript
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Accepted/In Press date: 27 August 2022
Published date: January 2023
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
This study was funded by internal funds at the University of Chicago (Dr. Grant) and Dr. Chamberlain’s role in this study was funded by a Wellcome Trust Clinical Fellowship (110049/Z/15/Z & 110049/Z/15/A). This research was funded in whole, or in part, by Wellcome [110049/Z/15/Z & 110049/Z/15/A]. For the purpose of open access, the author has applied a CC BY public copyright licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier Ltd
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 470179
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/470179
ISSN: 0306-4603
PURE UUID: 635f8342-2320-45a2-b0d1-45172d5b67b4
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Date deposited: 04 Oct 2022 16:40
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 07:29
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Author:
Jon E. Grant
Author:
Samuel Chamberlain
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