Obsessive-compulsive aspects and pathological gambling in an Italian sample

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Gambling behavior is repetitive and difficult to resist, often used to manage negative emotions like anxiety.
• This suggests potential similarities with obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• Estimate gambling behavior prevalence in an Italian sample.
• Assess sociodemographic effects on gambling.
• Examine correlations between gambling and obsessive-compulsive features.

Main Methods:

• Evaluated 300 Italian subjects using the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) and Maudsley Obsessional-Compulsive Questionnaire-Reduced (MOCQ-R).
• Data collected in small Italian centers, including locations with slot machines.
• Assessed gambling behaviors and obsessive-compulsive attitudes.

Main Results:

• A negative correlation was observed between SOGS scores and MOCQ-R control/cleaning subscales in most subjects.
• Both SOGS and MOCQ-R demonstrated reliability and good discriminative capacity.

Conclusions:

• The studied gamblers did not present with obsessive-compulsive disorders, supporting the DSM-5 classification of Problem Gambling (PG).
• Findings indicate that treatments for substance use disorders may be beneficial for gambling disorder.