A Population-Based Study of the Association Between Pathological Gambling and Attempted Suicide

Date
2003
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Guilford Publications
Abstract
The association between pathological gambling and attempted suicide was examined using data from a prevalence study conducted in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The sample size was 7,214, the questionnaire was the Diagnostic Interview Schedule, and diagnoses were made on a lifetime basis according to DSMIII criteria. Logistic regression analysis was performed, with attempted suicide as the dependent variable. The odds ratio for pathological gambling was statistically significant (odds ratio = 4.91; 95% confidence interval = [1.41,17.1]) when major depression was the only comorbid mental disorder in the model. As terms for additional mental disorders were included, pathological gambling ceased to be statistically significant. It was concluded that a history of pathological gambling is associated with previous attempted suicide, and that the association may be due to a common factor—“mental illness.”
Description
Reprinted with permission of The Guilford Press.
Keywords
pathological gambling, attempted suicide, at risk populations
Citation
Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 33(1), 80-87.