Background: Depression is commonly found among young adults who have problems with gambling. Although depression and gambling frequently co-occur, it is unclear whether this relationship has clinical or cognitive importance.
Methods: The study analyzed 215 young adults (age 18 to 29) with "at-risk" gambling behavior. Scores on the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview were used to assess lifetime major depressive disorder. The participants were categorized by 2 groups: those with (81 [37.7%]) and those without (134 [62.3%]) depressive symptoms. The groups were compared using various measures assessing gambling severity, quality of life, comorbidity, and psychosocial dysfunction, as well as various cognitive tasks assessing impulsivity and working memory.
Results: Participants with depression who gambled had significantly worse gambling urges and behaviors. In addition, they reported significantly higher rates of anxiety (P < .001), suicidality (P < .001), alcohol (P = .036) and substance dependence (P = .009), compulsive buying (P = .004), and lower quality of life (P = .007). The depressed participants also demonstrated significantly greater impairments on cognitive tasks assessing spatial working memory.
Conclusions: This research suggests that at-risk gamblers with depression differ clinically and cognitively from at-risk gamblers without depressive symptoms. These findings may have implications for treatment interventions.