Ronzitti S, Soldini E, Smith N, Potenza MN, Clerici M, Bowden-Jones H. Addict. Behav. 2017; 74: 33-40.
Affiliation
NPGC, National Problem Gambling Clinic, Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK; Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK. Electronic address: h.bowdenjones02@imperial.ac.uk.
BACKGROUND: Studies show higher lifetime prevalence of suicidality in individuals with pathological gambling. However, less is known about the relationship between pathological gambling and current suicidal ideation.
OBJECTIVES: We investigated socio-demographic, clinical and gambling-related variables associated with suicidality in treatment-seeking individuals.
METHODS: Bivariate analyses and logistic regression models were generated on data from 903 individuals to identify measures associated with aspects of suicidality.
RESULTS: Forty-six percent of patients reported current suicidal ideation. People with current suicidal thoughts were more likely to report greater problem-gambling severity (p<0.001), depression (p<0.001) and anxiety (p<0.001) compared to those without suicidality. Logistic regression models suggested that past suicidal ideation (p<0.001) and higher anxiety (p<0.05) may be predictive factors of current suicidality.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the severity of anxiety disorder, along with a lifetime history of suicidal ideation, may help to identify treatment-seeking individuals with pathological gambling with a higher risk of suicidality, highlighting the importance of assessing suicidal ideation in clinical settings.