Clinical differences between men and women in a Swedish treatment-seeking population with gambling disorder

Louise Miller; Mikael Mide; Elin Arvidson; Anna Söderpalm Gordh

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1054236

Clinical differences between men and women in a Swedish treatment-seeking population with gambling disorder

Front Psychiatry. 2023 Jan 4:13:1054236. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1054236. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Louise Miller¹, Mikael Mide^{1

2}, Elin Arvidson², Anna Söderpalm Gordh^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Addiction Biology Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
² Department of Addiction and Dependency, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to explore clinical differences in Swedish treatment-seeking men and women with gambling disorder (GD). As the prevalence of GD is increasing among women, even though men are still highly overrepresented, the characteristic differences between men and women seeking treatment become increasingly important.

Method: A sample of 204 patients with GD (26.5% women and 73.5% men) at an outpatient clinic were diagnosed using the SCI-GD, screened for comorbid diagnoses using the MINI, and further completed a range of self-report questionnaires measuring demographics, GD, alcohol and other drug problems, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and pathways into gambling problems.

Results: Several characteristics differed between treatment-seeking men and women in our sample. Examples of differences between genders included age, onset age, living situation, duration, alcohol and drug problems, comorbidity, and pathways leading to gambling problems.

Discussion: The most evident difference was that women, in addition to GD, showed more symptoms of anxiety and depression than men, while men had a higher degree of substance use problems compared to women. The differences in clinical features between men and women are important to consider in treatment planning and possibly for future gender-based interventions.

Keywords: comorbidity; gambling disorder; gender; pathways; treatment-seekers.