Adult Canadian Disordered Gambling and Poor Physical or Mental Health

Disordered gambling has become the first recognized nonsubstance addiction. Low- and moderate-level gamblers have been found to be more likely to suffer health consequences. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional, comparative study was to explore whether and to what extent being a disordered gambler in Canada increases the likelihood of having a concurrent physical or mental health problems (i.e., heart disease, diabetes and/or suicidal ideation or attempts). The research questions were whether there was a significant difference in having heart disease, diabetes, or suicidal ideations or attempts between Canadian adults who are and who are not disordered gamblers. The theoretical framework was Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which was employed to analyze the importance of social and esteem needs. The study sample consisted of 127,462 respondents to the Canadian Community Health Survey, conducted in 2013. Chi-square and binary logistic regression analyses revealed that disordered gamblers were more likely to display suicidal ideation or attempts but less likely to report having been diagnosed with diabetes than their nonproblematic gambler counterparts. No significant association was found between disordered gambling and heart disease. Health care workers and other relevant stakeholders could use the findings as support when requesting funding dedicated to the prevention and treatment of mental health issues associated with disordered gambling. The findings could promote positive social change, as by offering better funding and support, it may be possible to lower cases of disordered gambling and, in turn, potentially decrease cases of suicidal ideation or attempts in affected individuals