A nationwide study of health-related quality of life, stress, pain or discomfort and the use of medicine among problem gamblers.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between problem gambling and health-related quality of life, stress, pain or discomfort and the use of analgesics and sleeping pills.

METHODS

Data derives from the Danish Health and Morbidity Survey 2010. The survey was based on a random sample of 25,000 adult Danes (response rate: 61%), and data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire. The Lie/Bet Questionnaire was used as the screening instrument for problem gambling. Respondents were categorised as current, previous or non-problem gamblers. The questionnaire also included topics such as health-related quality of life (Short Form-12), perceived stress, pain and discomforts within the past two weeks, as well as the use of medication within the past two weeks.

RESULTS

Current problem gambling was strongly associated with negative outcomes such as poor mental health, high perception of stress, headache, fatigue and sleeping problems. Furthermore, previous problem gambling was generally associated with poorer health outcomes. Thus, current and previous problem gamblers had 2.36 times (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.44-3.87) and 1.66 times (95% CI 1.07-2.55) higher odds than non-problem gamblers of reporting fair or poor health, respectively. The data revealed no clear association between problem gambling and the use of analgesics.

CONCLUSIONS

Both current and previous problem gambling were negatively associated with physical and mental-health problems. Health professionals should be alert to any signs of these complicating factors when planning the treatment of problem gamblers.