Abstract
Objectives: Problem gamblers in treatment are known to be at high risk for suicidality, but few studies have examined if this is evident in community samples. Evidence is mixed on the extent to which an association between problem gambling and suicidality may be explained by psychiatric comorbidity. We tested whether they are associated after adjustment for co-occurring mental disorders and other factors. Study design: Secondary analysis of the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007, a cross-sectional national probability sample survey of 7403 adults living in households in England. Methods: Rates of suicidality in problem gamblers and the rest of the population were compared. A series of logistic regression models assessed the impact of adjustment on the relationship between problem gambling and suicidality. Results: Past year suicidality was reported in 19.2% of problem gamblers, compared with 4.4% in the rest of the population. Their unadjusted odds ratios (OR) of suicidality were 5.3 times higher. Odds attenuated but remained significant when depression and anxiety disorders, substance dependences, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and other factors were accounted for (adjusted OR = 2.9, 95% confidence interval = 1. 1, 8.1 P = 0.023). Conclusions: Problem gamblers are a high-risk group for suicidality. This should be recognised in individual suicide prevention plans and local and national suicide prevention strategies. While some of this relationship is explained by other factors, a significant and substantial association between problem gambling and suicidality remains.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 11-16 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Public Health |
| Volume | 184 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jul 2020 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:H.W. reports serving as the Deputy Chair of the Advisory Board for Safer Gambling, an independent group that provides advice on gambling policy and research to the Gambling Commission and is renumerated by them. She reports working on contracts funded by GambleAware , a national charity mandated by government to commission research into gambling in Great Britain. Funds for GambleAware are raised by contributions from the industry, though decisions about what research to fund are made by the Gambling Commission. H.W. reports running a research consultancy named Heather Wardle Research Ltd. She reports not providing or have provided consultancy or any other services for the industry. She reports providing evidence at the House of Lords Select Committee enquiry into the social and economic impact of gambling as an unpaid expert witness in summer 2019. A.J. serves as the chair person for the National Advisory Group to Welsh Government on Suicide and Self-harm prevention and advises ONS on their suicide bulletins. She reports serving as a Trustee of the Mental Health Foundation. Other than the funding of this original research by GambleAware , the other authors have no other interests to declare.
Funding Information:
Funding for this research was provided by GambleAware, a national charity mandated by the UK government to collect voluntary contributions from industry to fund research and treatment into gambling. While the commission the research, research topics and questions are set by the Gambling Commission (the national regulator), advised by Advisory Board for Safer Gambling. GambleAware had no role in the production of this manuscript or the decision to submit.H.W. reports serving as the Deputy Chair of the Advisory Board for Safer Gambling, an independent group that provides advice on gambling policy and research to the Gambling Commission and is renumerated by them. She reports working on contracts funded by GambleAware, a national charity mandated by government to commission research into gambling in Great Britain. Funds for GambleAware are raised by contributions from the industry, though decisions about what research to fund are made by the Gambling Commission. H.W. reports running a research consultancy named Heather Wardle Research Ltd. She reports not providing or have provided consultancy or any other services for the industry. She reports providing evidence at the House of Lords Select Committee enquiry into the social and economic impact of gambling as an unpaid expert witness in summer 2019. A.J. serves as the chair person for the National Advisory Group to Welsh Government on Suicide and Self-harm prevention and advises ONS on their suicide bulletins. She reports serving as a Trustee of the Mental Health Foundation. Other than the funding of this original research by GambleAware, the other authors have no other interests to declare.
Funding Information:
Funding for this research was provided by GambleAware , a national charity mandated by the UK government to collect voluntary contributions from industry to fund research and treatment into gambling. While the commission the research, research topics and questions are set by the Gambling Commission (the national regulator), advised by Advisory Board for Safer Gambling. GambleAware had no role in the production of this manuscript or the decision to submit.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Author(s)
Other keywords
- Comorbidity
- Mental health
- Problem gambling
- Suicide
- Survey
- England
- Cross-sectional studies
- Risk factors