Disordered Gambling in Residential Substance Use Treatment Centers: An Unmet Need

Abstract

This study examined prevalence and potential impact of disordered gambling in a sample of individuals (N = 684) undergoing residential treatment for substance use disorders at 13 facilities. Lifetime disordered gambling prevalence was 20.2%, as identified by South Oaks Gambling Screen. Within individuals who screened positive for disordered gambling, few had sought help for gambling (15.9%) and only 14.3% reported having gambling addressed in their current substance use disorder treatment. Meanwhile, 30.4% identified gambling as a concern in their recovery efforts. The presence of a gambling problem, either historical or current, potentially affects residential treatment outcomes and warrants clinical attention within these programs.

KEYWORDS:

• Pathological gambling
• comorbidity
• substance use disorder
• treatment

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Views expressed in this article are the authors own and not an official position of the institution or funder. The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

FUNDING

Funding for this project was in part provided by the Oregon Department of Human Services.