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Obsessive-compulsive features in pathological lottery and scratch-ticket gamblers.

R O Frost1, B M Meagher, J H Riskind

  • 1Department of Psychology, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, USA. rfrost@science.smith.edu

Journal of Gambling Studies
|November 14, 2001
PubMed
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Pathological gamblers exhibit higher obsessive-compulsive symptoms and urges for harmful behaviors than light gamblers. This suggests pathological gambling may be part of a spectrum of disorders centered around obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Pathological gambling is a significant public health concern.
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and impulse control disorders share some overlapping features.
  • Previous research suggests similarities between OCD and impulse control disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between pathological gambling and obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
  • To compare the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in pathological gamblers versus light gamblers.
  • To explore the potential for pathological gambling to be part of a spectrum of disorders related to OCD.

Main Methods:

  • Participants were assessed using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Community-based pathological gamblers (lottery and scratch ticket) were compared to light gamblers.
  • Data on obsessions, compulsions, avoidance behaviors, urges for injurious behaviors, hoarding, and compulsive buying were collected.

    • Main Results:

    • Pathological gamblers scored significantly higher on all three YBOCS measures compared to light gamblers.
    • Pathological gamblers reported increased obsessions, compulsions, avoidance behaviors, and urges for injurious behaviors.
    • Heavy gamblers also exhibited more hoarding and compulsive buying symptoms than light gamblers.

    Conclusions:

    • Findings support the hypothesis that pathological gambling shares core features with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
    • Pathological gambling may represent a disorder within a spectrum related to OCD.
    • These results extend previous findings on the overlap between impulse control disorders and OCD.