Association between problem gambling and conduct disorder in a national survey of adolescents and young adults in the United States.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this analysis is to examine the relationship between current problem gambling and current conduct disorder.

METHODS

Data were analyzed for a U.S. national survey of respondents aged 14-21 years.

RESULTS

A strong co-morbidity between current problem gambling and current conduct disorder was found. However, this co-morbidity was much stronger among younger respondents, declined in strength with increasing age, and was absent among the oldest respondents. Further analyses showed that early-onset problem gamblers had a higher risk for conduct disorder than late-onset problem gamblers.

CONCLUSIONS

Gambling problems that emerge early are likely to be part of a general pattern of problem behavior, whereas gambling problems that emerge later may have an etiology unique to gambling.