Screening for Gambling Disorder in VA Primary Care Behavioral Health: A Pilot Study

The current pilot study assessed the prevalence of at-risk/problem gambling using the Brief Biosocial Gambling Screen (BBGS) among a sample of U.S. military veterans seeking mental health treatment services in a primary care medical setting at a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital in the Northeast. Out of the 260 veterans screened, 85 veterans (32.7%) reported gambling behaviors within the past 12 months. No significant differences were found between gambling and non-gambling veterans on demographics, medical, or mental health conditions collected in the study. Among veteran past-year gamblers, five veterans (5.9%) screened positive for at-risk/problem gambling. The estimated prevalence of problem gambling was 1.9% among veterans screened in a primary care behavioral health clinic. Results suggest that self-disclosure of problem gambling among veterans, as well as outreach efforts by VA health care providers, could serve to increase veterans' participation in treatment services for problem gambling. Larger, well-powered studies that examine the utility of the BBGS for detecting problem gambling among military populations are needed.