"Veterans in VA care have a high rate" of pathological gambling, he added.
All 10 DSM-IV gambling symptoms were assessed in the study. The sixth criteria (characterized in the DSM-IV as "chasing one’s losses") was the most common symptom, endorsed by 6.3% of participants with problem or pathological gambling. Tolerance was next at 5.1%, followed by escape gambling at 5.1%. The eighth criteria, which refers to committing illegal acts such as writing bad checks and committing property crimes, was the least commonly reported symptom, at just over 1%.
Another unexpected finding was a propensity for younger veterans to have higher scores on the South Oaks Gambling Screen for pathological gambling. "Most surveys that include people in their 20s rarely find a high prevalence [of pathological gambling], so ours was not a typical finding," said Dr. Westermeyer. Those who show up on the survey data tend to be people aged 35 years and older, he noted.
Participants were paid $20 to complete 2 hours of computer-based data collection; a research assistant was on hand to answer any questions. Participants were recruited at two VA medical centers and 14 rural community-based outpatient clinics.
This was a clinical epidemiologic study and not community-based research, a potential limitation.
Unanswered questions remain, Dr. Westermeyer said. Do these high rates among veterans in VA care reflect rates among all veterans? Also, would it be possible to identify earlier cases through screening?
The study was funded by VA Health Services Research & Development. Dr. Westermeyer said he had no relevant disclosures.