The relationship between gambling disorder and crime among young adults

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Author(s): Mestre-Bach, Gemma ; Granero, Roser ; Vintró-Alcaraz, Cristina ; Juve-Segura, Gerard ; Marimon-Escudero, Mario ; Rivas-Perez, Sandra ; Valenciano-Mendoza, Eduardo ; Mora-Maltas, Bernat ; Del Pinto-Gutierrez, Amparo ; Gómez-Peña, Monica ; Moragas, Laura ; Fernández-Aranda, Fernando ; Codina, Ester ; Mena-Moreno, Teresa ; Valero-Solís, Susana ; Guillen-Guzman, Elias ; Menchón, José M. ; Jiménez-Murcia, Susana

Journal: Addictive Behaviors

Year Published: 2021

Date Added: January 29, 2021

This research examined factors that might differentiate young adults with gambling disorder (GD) who committed crimes from those who did not. Participants were 808 young adults seeking treatment for GD. Among these participants, 36% had committed crimes due to gambling. The results showed that being younger, unemployed, and having higher psychopathology increased the risk for criminal activity. Also, people with more severe GD symptoms, greater debts, and a less adaptive personality profile were more likely to commit crimes.

Citation: Mestre-Bach, G., Granero, R., Vintró-Alcaraz, C., Juvé-Segura, G., Marimon-Escudero, M., Rivas-Pérez, S., . . . Jiménez-Murcia, S. (2021). Youth and gambling disorder: What about criminal behavior? Addictive Behaviors, 113, 106684. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106684

Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106684

Keywords: criminal behaviour ; gambling disorder ; personality ; psychopathology ; young adults

Topics: Comorbidities ; Crime and Deviance ; Gambling and the Brain ; Personality

Conceptual Framework Factors: Psychological - Personality and Temperament ; Psychological - Comorbid Disorders ; Social - Social Demographics ; Psychological - Lifespan Development ; Social - Deviance ; Social Factors

Study Design: Observational: Cross-sectional

Geographic Coverage: Spain, Barcelona

Study Population: The sample included 808 young adults who sought treatment for GD (18–30 years old, average age = 25.7, 97.5% males). The researchers divided them into two groups: those with the presence (n = 291) or absence (n = 517) of criminal behaviours related to GD.

Sampling Procedure: The researchers used targeted sampling to recruit participants with a diagnosis of GD at the Behavioral Addictions Unit at the Bellvitge University Hospital. Patients at the clinic were referred from general practitioners or other health professionals. Some were referred through prison health services (2.8% for the study sample).

Study Funding:

This study was funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, the Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad, the Delegación del Gobierno para el Plan Nacional sobre Drogas, CIBER Fisiología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn) and CIBER Salud Mental (CIBERSAM).

Declaration:

Gemma Mestre-Bach, Cristina Vintró-Alcaraz, Gerard Juvé-Segura, Mario Marimon-Escudero, Sandra Rivas-Pérez, Eduardo Valenciano-Mendoza, Bernat Mora-Maltas, Amparo del Pino-Gutierrez, Mónica Gómez-Peña, Laura Moragas, Fernando Fernández-Aranda, Ester Codina, Teresa Mena-Moreno, Susana Valero-Solís, José M. Menchón, and Susana Jiménez-Murcia are affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry at the Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL in Barcelona, Spain.

Gemma Mestre-Bach, Roser Granero, Cristina Vintró-Alcaraz, Amparo del Pino-Gutierrez, Fernando Fernández-Aranda, Teresa Mena-Moreno, and Susana Jiménez-Murcia are also affiliated with the Ciber Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn) at the Instituto de Salud Carlos III in Madrid, Spain.

Gemma Mestre-Bach is also affiliated with the Universidad Internacional de La Rioja in La Rioja, Spain.

Roser Granero is also affiliated with the Departament de Psicobiologia i Metodologia de les Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.

Amparo del Pino-Gutierrez is also affiliated with the Department of Public Health, Mental Health and Mother-Infant Nursing, University School of Nursing, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.

Fernando Fernández-Aranda, José M. Menchón, and Susana Jiménez-Murcia are also affiliated with the Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.

Elías Guillén-Guzmán is affiliated with the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Spain.

José M. Menchón is also affiliated with the CIBER Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.