Medeiros Gustavo C, Sampaio Daniela G, Leppink Eric W, Chamberlain Samuel R, Grant Jon E
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago , Chicago, IL, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge , Cambridge, United Kingdom.
J Behav Addict. 2016 Jun;5(2):261-70. doi: 10.1556/2006.5.2016.044.
Background and aims Previous analyses have highlighted significant associations between gambling disorder (GD)/subsyndromal GD and increased rates of anxiety symptoms and anxiety disorders relative to the general population. However, less is known about how anxiety symptoms influence the clinical presentation of gambling problems. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between anxiety symptoms, gambling activity, and neurocognition across the spectrum of gambling behavior. Methods The sample consisted of 143 non-treatment-seeking young adults (aged 18-29 years), in which 63 individuals (44.1%) were classified as recreational gamblers, 47 (32.9%) as having subsyndromal GD, and 33 (23.1%) met criteria for GD. Results The main findings were: (a) there was a positive correlation between anxiety severity and gambling severity measured by the number of DSM-5 GD criteria met; (b) there was a positive correlation between anxiety severity and attentional impulsiveness; (c) subjects with suicidality presented higher levels of anxiety; and (d) the severity of anxiety symptoms was negatively correlated with the quality of life. Discussion and conclusions This study suggests that anxiety may be associated with relevant clinical variables in the broad spectrum of gambling activity. Therefore, proper management of anxiety symptoms might improve the clinical presentation of gamblers in different areas.
背景与目的 以往分析强调，相对于普通人群，赌博障碍（GD）/亚综合征性GD与焦虑症状及焦虑症发生率增加之间存在显著关联。然而，对于焦虑症状如何影响赌博问题的临床表现，人们了解较少。本研究的目的是评估焦虑症状、赌博活动和神经认知在整个赌博行为谱中的关联。方法 样本包括143名未寻求治疗的年轻人（年龄在18 - 29岁之间），其中63人（44.1%）被归类为娱乐性赌徒，47人（32.9%）有亚综合征性GD，33人（23.1%）符合GD标准。结果 主要发现如下：（a）焦虑严重程度与通过符合DSM - 5 GD标准数量衡量的赌博严重程度之间存在正相关；（b）焦虑严重程度与注意力冲动性之间存在正相关；（c）有自杀倾向的受试者焦虑水平更高；（d）焦虑症状的严重程度与生活质量呈负相关。讨论与结论 本研究表明，焦虑可能与广泛赌博活动中的相关临床变量有关。因此，对焦虑症状进行适当管理可能会改善不同方面赌徒的临床表现。
