Gender Differences in Pathological Gambling
Angela Ibáñez, MD, PhD; Carlos Blanco, MD, PhD; Paula Moreryra, MA; and Jerónimo Sáiz-Ruiz, MD, PhD
J Clin Psychiatry 2003;64(3):295-301
© Copyright 2018 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.
To view this item, select one of the options below.
-
-
Purchase This PDF for $40.00
If you are not a paid subscriber, you may purchase the PDF.
(You'll need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
-
Subscribe
Receive immediate full-text access to JCP. You can subscribe to JCP online-only ($86) or print + online ($156 individual).
With your subscription, receive a free PDF collection of the NCDEU Festschrift articles. Hurry! This offer ends December 31, 2011.
-
-
Activate
If you are a paid subscriber to JCP and do not yet have a username and password, activate your subscription now.
-
Sign in
As a paid subscriber who has activated your subscription, you have access to the HTML and PDF versions of this item.
-
Click here to login.
-
Did you forget your password?
Still can't log in? Contact the Circulation Department at 1-800-489-1001 x4 or send email
Background: To determine the differences in
clinical presentation, gambling behavior, and psychiatric
comorbidity of male and female treatment-seeking pathological
gamblers.
Method: Sixty-nine consecutive individuals with
DSM-IV pathological gambling (47 men and 22 women) applying to a
specialized outpatient treatment program were evaluated with
structured interviews, self-report questionnaires, and
psychological scales.
Results: Sixty-seven percent of men (N = 26)
versus 25% of women (N = 5) had been exposed to gambling in
adolescence. Women had a later age at first bet and a faster
evolution of the disorder. Female pathological gamblers were more
likely to play bingo, whereas men tended to prefer slot machines.
Male and female pathological gamblers had similar gambling
severity and overall rates of psychiatric comorbidity. However,
male pathological gamblers had higher rates of alcohol
abuse/dependence and antisocial personality disorder, whereas
women had higher rates of affective disorders and history of
physical abuse.
Conclusion: There are substantial gender
differences in the clinical presentation and comorbidity of
pathological gambling. These gender differences should be
incorporated in the selection and planning of treatment for
pathological gamblers.