Gambling Disorder and comorbid PTSD: A systematic review of empirical research

Gambling Disorder (GD) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are frequently comorbid and often associated with a more severe clinical profile compared to those with either diagnosis alone. Despite recent growing interest in this comorbidity, there has been little effort to synthesize this domain of research and define areas of need for future research.

The present work details a systematic review of empirical studies examining the relationship between PTSD and GD-related factors. This review encompassed 74 studies each examining the overlap between GD and the following domains: PTSD, Trauma, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and Stressful Life Events.

The included studies yielded 91 independent samples each providing associations between the above-mentioned constructs. The present work found that stress, trauma, and symptom severity of PTSD each influence the severity of both GD and subclinical levels of GD. The severity, type, and time at which trauma occurs in the lifespan all appear to influence the predictive strength of trauma on GD severity. However, PTSD symptoms appear to have a greater impact on GD severity compared to trauma alone.

PTSD symptoms result in increased severity of GD, and pathological dissociation plays a particularly important role in exacerbating this relationship. Clinical and etiological implications, as well as direction for future research from these findings, are revealed and discussed.