Ra. Volberg et Mw. Abbott, LIFETIME PREVALENCE ESTIMATES OF PATHOLOGICAL GAMBLING IN NEW-ZEALAND, International journal of epidemiology, 23(5), 1994, pp. 976-983
Background. Legalized gambling has proliferated recently in many count
ries and is a public health issue because of the association between g
ambling participation and the prevalence of pathological gambling. Rel
atively little is known about the epidemiology of this disorder or the
characteristics of pathological gamblers living in the community. Thi
s paper summarizes the major findings of a national prevalence survey
of pathological gambling conducted in New Zealand; the first national
survey to have been conducted to date, and compares them with the resu
lts of studies undertaken in the US and Canada. Methods. A national ad
ult sample of 4053 people was interviewed by telephone to determine in
volvement in gambling activities. The interview included the South Oak
s Gambling Screen (SOGS) for pathological gambling. Results, Of the sa
mple, 2.7% (+/- 0.5%) scored as probable pathological gamblers and a f
urther 4.2% (+/- 0.6%) scored as problem gamblers. These prevalence ra
tes are higher than those reported in previous studies using the SOGS.
Ethnicity, age, gender, employment status, having a parent who had ga
mbling problems and regular participation in continuous forms of gambl
ing were major risk factors. Conclusions. In New Zealand pathological
gambling appears to have a lifetime prevalence approximately half that
of drug abuse/dependence. The findings suggest that prevalence has in
creased in recent years and provide a baseline for further study. The
risk factors identified give a focus for future research into aetiolog
y, prevention and treatment.