Prevalence and correlates of gambling disorder in Spain: findings from a national survey

ABSTRACTThe aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of gambling disorder (GD) in a sample of Spanish adults and analyze the sociodemographic variables, addictive behaviors (i.e. gambling-related characteristics, substance use, and problematic internet use), and lifetime clinical diagnoses related to the severity of GD. Participants from the 2020 Spanish Survey on Alcohol and Drugs (N = 17,105; 50.52% men; Mage = 38.38 ± 13.07) were included. Individuals were classified as gamblers with GD when scored ≥4 points in the DSM-5 criteria. ANOVA and Pearson correlations were carried out to analyze differences in GD scores according to the variables noted above. The results showed that the rate of GD was 0.63% in the total sample and 1.05% in past-year gamblers. Characteristics which showed significantly higher GD scores were as follows: being a man, younger age, unmarried, greater gambling involvement both online and offline, gambling both online and offline, betting on both strategic and non-strategic games or on exclusively strategic games, lower gambling risk perception, greater substance use, higher problematic alcohol, cannabis, or internet use, or a lifetime diagnosis of anxiety, insomnia, or substance use disorder (all p-values ≤.001). The findings may guide future legal regulation policies and promote actions to prevent gambling-related problems.KEYWORDS: GamblingprevalencecorrelatesSpanish adultssubstance useinternet use AcknowledgementsThe authors would like to thank the Spanish National Drugs Plan (Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality) for providing the survey data.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Data availability statementThe data in this study was obtained from the 2020 Survey on Alcohol and Drugs in Spain. Such a dataset may be requested from the Spanish National Drugs Plan. Interested researchers should fill out the form available at the following link: https://pnsd.sanidad.gob.es/profesionales/sistemasInformacion/sistemaInformacion/solicitud_bases_de_datos.htm and send it in PDF format to the e-mail address cendocupnd@sanidad.gob.esSupplementary dataSupplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/14459795.2023.2276747.Additional informationFundingThe work was supported by the Government of the Principality of Asturias [PA-21-PF-BP20-015].Notes on contributorsRoberto Secades-VillaRoberto Secades-Villa is a professor in the University of Oviedo and the head of the Addictive Behaviors Research Group. He has published more than a hundred scientific articles and books related to the evaluation, treatment, and prevention of addictive behaviors. He is one of the people of reference in addictions in the Spanish field as well as internationally.Andrea KrotterAndrea Krotter, MA, is a PhD candidate in the Addictive Behaviors Research Group at the University of Oviedo. During her research career has participated in various research projects about addictive behaviors and has published several scientific articles and book chapters related to this field of study. Her interest is focused on the prevention and treatment of addictive-related problems in vulnerable populations.Gema Aonso-DiegoGema Aonso-Diego, PhD in psychology and assistant professor at the University of Oviedo. She is part of the Addictive Behaviors Research Group, where she develops her research in the field of assessment, prevention, and treatment of addictive behaviors. She has participated as an author or co-author of numerous publications, including book chapters and scientific articles in specialized journals, all of them related to addictive behaviors. One of the milestones in her research career was receiving two early-career awards from national and international entities.