[Pathological gambling, illegal behavior and the preventive potentiality of a helpline in Argentina]

The evolution of Pathological Gambling has some important landmarks such as the age of onset, time elapse between onset and the perception of gambling consequences and their severity. These events encourage the exploration of the preventive potential of a helpline service for gamblers, thus the contact with this service might be the beginning of opportune intervention.

To describe and to compare the course and complications due to gambling reported by two Argentineans gambler population with access to different services: a sample of participants of a self-help group; and a sample of helpline clients.

A total of 268 gamblers were surveyed using a structured interview that included the Brief Questionnaire of Pathological Gambling. The sample was composed by 174 subjects attending self-help groups (Anonymous Gamblers); and 94 consecutive callers to a gambling helpline in Argentina.

76% of Anonymous Gamblers and 33% of helpline clients reported having committed some illegal behaviour (Odds Ratio = 6.4; 95% IC 3.6; 11.6). The disorder and the negative consequences were more severe in the Anonymous Gamblers group. Mean age of onset of gambling for helpline clients was 35 years and for Anonymous Gamblers 28. The mean time elapsed to perceiving economic problems was 5 years for helpline clients and 7 for Anonymous Gamblers. The findings support that helpline services promote the seek for help in those gamblers that have not yet reached the summit of the disorder.