Pathological gambling among cocaine-dependent outpatients

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Addiction Medicine
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Pathological gambling is a recognized disorder.
• Cocaine dependence is a significant public health issue.
• Comorbidity between substance use disorders and gambling disorder is common.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of pathological gambling in cocaine-dependent outpatients.
• To assess the impact of pathological gambling on treatment outcomes for cocaine dependence.
• To compare the characteristics of cocaine-dependent patients with and without pathological gambling.

Main Methods:

• 313 cocaine-dependent outpatients participated in clinical trials.
• Pathological gambling was assessed using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DSM-III-R criteria).
• Sociodemographic and socioeconomic data were collected using the Addiction Severity Index.

Main Results:

• Lifetime prevalence of pathological gambling was 8.0%; current prevalence was 3.8%.
• Pathological gambling onset often preceded cocaine dependence (72.0%).
• Patients with pathological gambling showed higher rates of tobacco dependence, antisocial personality disorder, unemployment, illegal activity, and incarceration, but similar treatment outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Pathological gambling is significantly more prevalent in cocaine-dependent outpatients compared to the general population.
• Co-occurring pathological gambling is associated with distinct sociodemographic and clinical characteristics in cocaine-dependent patients.
• Pathological gambling does not appear to negatively impact short-term treatment outcomes for cocaine dependence in this cohort.