Gambling Behavior Subtypes Among Respondents with Gambling-Related Problems in a Population-Based Sample

ABSTRACT

Latent class analysis was used to delineate distinctive subgroups of gamblers and examine whether they differed by demographics and gambling severity. Data from three Canadian provinces focused on respondents who reported at least some risk of problem gambling in the past year (N= 1,071). Three latent classes were distinguished: a low on most items group (class 1), a behaviorally conditioned/substance abusing impulsive/emotionally vulnerable (or all types) group (class 2), and a familial-genetic/behaviorally conditioned group (class 3). Gamblers in classes 2 and 3 were most likely to be moderate-risk and problem gamblers. Community-based prevention efforts may need to address each subgroup differently but also according to their characteristics.

KEYWORDS:

• Gambling
• problem gambling
• latent class analysis
• gambling severity

Acknowledgments

This study was funded by a grant from the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre (Silvia S. Martins). The authors thank the OPGRC for providing the consolidated provincial datasets and the authors also thank the respondents of the provincial surveys. The data reported herein come from the Alberta Survey study, collected by the Alberta Gaming Research Institute (AGRI); the Ontario survey study, collected by the Canadian Center for Substance Abuse (CCSA) and the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC); and from the data collected for the Newfoundland & Labrador Survey study collected by Market Quest Research Group, Inc., under the auspices of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Health and Community Services. The OPGRC had no further role in study design; in the analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the paper for publication. The authors thank Geoff Severtson, MA, for help in creating the classification error code for the latent classes and Ms. Grace Lee, BS, for help in formatting the article. This article was partially presented as a poster at the Society for Prevention Research 16th Annual Meeting, May 29, 2008, San Francisco, California.