Older adults with comorbid mental health conditions are more likely to be diagnosed with gambling disorder if using DSM-5 criteria

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Author(s): Nicholson, Ryan ; Mackenzie, Corey ; Afifi, Tracie O. ; Sareen, Jitender

Journal: Journal of Gambling Studies

Year Published: 2019

Date Added: January 30, 2019

The researchers investigated if using the DSM-IV or DSM-5 criteria to diagnose gambling disorder (GD) would affect rates of comorbid mental health conditions. They also explored if the use of the DSM-IV or DSM-5 criteria would have an effect on different age groups. The researchers looked at data collected by the National Epidemiological Survey for Alcohol and Related Conditions. They found that using the DMS-5 criteria for GD did not affect the number of younger and middle-aged adults who were also diagnosed with comorbid mental health conditions. Using the DSM-5 criteria for GD increased the number of older adults who were also diagnosed with comorbid conditions. These results suggest that the DSM-5 may be better at detecting comorbid mental health conditions in older adults with gambling problems.

Citation: Nicholson, R., Mackenzie, C., Afifi, T. O., & Sareen, J. (2019). Effects of gambling diagnostic criteria changes from DSM-IV to DSM-5 on mental disorder comorbidity across younger, middle-aged, and older adults in a nationally representative sample. Journal of Gambling Studies, 35(1), 307-320. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-018-9801-z

Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-018-9801-z

Keywords: comorbidities ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (DSM-IV) ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V (DSM-5) ; diagnostic criteria ; gambling disorder ; mental health ; older adults ; pathological gambling

Topics: Comorbidities ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) ; Gambling and the Brain ; Older Adults ; Priority Populations

Conceptual Framework Factors: Psychological - Comorbid Disorders ; Psychological Factors ; Psychological - Lifespan Development

Response Rate: 81% (for the first wave of the NESARC)

Study Design: Observational: Cross-sectional

Geographic Coverage: United States of America

Study Population: American citizens, 18 years of age or older, who gambled for at least five times in the past year and met the diagnostic criteria in DSM-IV or DSM-5.

Sampling Procedure: Data were obtained from the first wave of the National Epidemiological Survey for Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) in 2001 and 2002. This study included participants who met the diagnostic criteria in DSM-IV or DSM-5.