Cannabis Use; Problem-Gambling Severity, and Psychiatric Disorders: Data From the National Epidemiological Survery on Alcohol and Related Conditions

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-1-2020

Publication Title

Psychology of Addictive Behaviors

Volume

34

Issue

1

First page number:

230

Last page number:

241

Abstract

Cannabis use and related disorders are common in adults and frequently co-occur with subsyndromal and pathological gambling. However, understanding how cannabis use may moderate relationships between problem-gambling severity and psychiatric disorders remains poorly understood. Data from the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (N = 43,093 adults) were examined to investigate how cannabis use moderated associations between problem-gambling severity (with gambling groups based on the 10 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual [DSM–IV] inclusionary criteria for pathological gambling) and Axis I and Axis II psychiatric disorders. Problem-gambling severity groups included low frequency/nongambling, low-risk gambling, at-risk gambling, and problem/pathological gambling (PPG). Among both the group with lifetime cannabis use and that which never used cannabis, greater problem-gambling severity was associated with more psychopathology across mood, anxiety, substance-use and Axis II disorders. Significant Cannabis Use × Problem-Gambling Severity Group interactions were observed between PPG and major depression (OR = 0.35, 95% CI = [0.14–0.85]), cluster A personality disorders (OR = 0.37, 95% CI = [0.16–0.86])—especially paranoid personality disorder (OR = 0.34, 95% CI = [0.14–0.81])—and cluster B personality disorders (OR = 0.36, 95% CI = [0.18–0.75])—especially antisocial personality disorder (OR = 0.25, 95% CI = [0.11–0.60]). In all cases, associations between problem-gambling severity and psychopathologies were weaker among the lifetime-cannabis-using group as compared to the never-using group. Cannabis use moderates the relationships between problem-gambling severity and psychiatric disorders, with cannabis use appearing to account for some of the variance in the associations between greater problem-gambling severity and specific forms of psychopathology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

Disciplines

Mental Disorders | Substance Abuse and Addiction

Language

English

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