Research Article

Associations between Pathological Gambling and Psychiatric Comorbidity among Help-Seeking Populations in Hong Kong

Table 2

Differences between pathological gamblers with and without lifetime and current psychiatric disorders in gambling and clinical characteristics.

VariableLifetime psychiatric disordersCurrent psychiatric disorders
With MI ( 𝑁 = 1 2 8 ) mean (SD)Without MI ( 𝑁 = 7 3 ) mean (SD)χ 2dfPWith MI ( 𝑁 = 9 0 ) mean (SD)Without MI ( 𝑁 = 1 1 1 ) mean (SD)χ 2dfP

Gambling characteristics
 Age of first gambling20.0 (8.1)19.6 (6.2)−0.3781990.70620.3 (8.5)19.5 (6.6)−0.7731990.441
 Presence of debt (%)82.0%76.7%0.82510.36486.7%74.8%4.40910.036
 ASI-Ga composite score0.42 (0.21)0.32 (0.17)−3.1741990.0020.45 (0.22)0.33 (0.17)−4.3511990.000

Clinical characteristics
 Brief symptom inventory
  Somatization0.78 (0.78)0.38 (0.47)−3.9731990.0000.87 (0.83)0.44 (0.53)−4.4291990.000
  Obsessive-compulsive1.47 (0.82)0.90 (0.78)−4.7651990.0001.60 (0.83)0.99 (0.77)−5.3711990.000
  Interpersonal sensitivity1.39 (0.84)0.78 (0.59)−5.4531990.0001.53 (0.85)0.88 (0.65)−6.1431990.000
  Depression1.61 (1.02)0.85 (0.79)−5.5401990.0001.79 (0.99)0.96 (0.87)−6.3631990.000
  Anxiety1.25 (0.95)0.72 (0.71)−4.1541990.0001.44 (0.98)0.75 (0.69)−5.7661990.000
  Hostility0.94 (0.76)0.61 (0.69)−3.0611990.0031.02 (0.78)0.67 (0.69)−3.3431990.001
  Phobic anxiety0.74 (0.74)0.31 (0.47)−4.4391990.0000.82 (0.80)0.39 (0.51)−4.6601990.000
  Paranoid ideation0.87 (0.74)0.48 (0.55)−3.8651990.0000.90 (0.77)0.58 (0.60)−3.3311990.001
  Psychoticism1.14 (0.84)0.62 (0.61)−4.7191990.0001.25 (0.86)0.71 (0.66)−5.0441990.000
  GSIa1.15 (0.71)0.64 (0.53)−5.3981990.0001.27 (0.72)0.71 (0.56)−6.1351990.000
  PST a 32.4 (13.6)21.8 (14.7)−5.1531990.00034.0 (13.6)24.0 (15.4)−5.0321990.000
  PSDI a 1.78 (0.61)1.44 (0.39)−4.1941990.0001.89 (0.64)1.46 (0.41)−5.6121990.000
 Psychosocial impairment
  LIFE-RIFT a 11.93 (3.28)8.96 (2.60)−6.4441880.00012.72 (3.11)9.30 (2.80)−8.0041880.000
 Severity of nicotine problem
  FTND a 4.56 (3.00)2.03 (2.46)−3.979930.0005.00 (2.86)2.39 (2.70)−4.558930.000

a ASI-G: Addiction Severity Index—Gambling Section; GSI: General Severity Index; PST: Positive Symptom Total Score; PSDI: Positive Symptom Distress Index; LIFE-RIFT: Longitudinal Interval Follow-up Evaluation-Range of Impaired Functioning Tool; FTND: Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence.