Problematic internet use in gamblers: impact on clinical and cognitive measures.

Samuel R Chamberlain,Jon E Grant,Sarah A Redden,Eric Leppink

doi:10.1017/s1092852917000037

Abstract

Gambling is a commonplace phenomenon, existing along a continuum from occasional gambling to functionally impairing gambling disorder. The internet may act as a conduit for some gambling behaviors. The impact of problematic internet use on clinical and cognitive features relevant to gambling has received little research attention. A total of 206 adults aged 18-30 years who gamble at least five times per year were recruited from the general community and undertook detailed clinical and cognitive assessments. Problematic internet use was defined using a total score of 5 or more on Young's Diagnostic Questionnaire (YDQ). Linear regression was employed to evaluate the relative contribution of addictive-related, impulsive-related, and compulsive-related measures in predicting YDQ total scores in gamblers. Gamblers with problematic internet use (18% of the sample) reported lower quality of life, lower self-esteem, elevated rates of intermittent explosive disorder, gambling disorder symptoms, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, antisocial personality disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as relative deficits in decision making and spatial working memory. In linear regression, the extent of problematic internet use was most significantly associated with increased gambling disorder symptoms and increased ADHD symptoms. Problematic internet use in gamblers is associated with worse quality of life, more problem/pathological gambling symptoms, more psychiatric morbidities, and select cognitive impairment. Refinement of the definition of problematic internet use and exploration of its clinical and cognitive associations are likely to be highly relevant to the treatment of problematic gambling.

Highlights

Despite being a recently developed technology, the internet is all-pervasive in many parts of the world
Of the 206 participants enrolled into the study, 37 (18% of the sample) met the criteria for problematic internet use based on the Young’s Diagnostic Questionnaire (YDQ)
Using gold-standard inperson clinical instruments, we found that the majority of cases of problematic internet use in gamblers were not associated with another type of impulse control disorder that would better account for the symptoms, including formal gambling disorder, in our sample

Summary

Introduction

Despite being a recently developed technology, the internet is all-pervasive in many parts of the world. There are clearly positive aspects of internet availability, including rapid access to global information sources and communication with others, but a proportion of individuals use the internet excessively, a putative entity referred to variably as “problematic internet use,” “internet addiction,” or “compulsive internet use.”[3] the variety of terms pertaining to excessive use of the internet is indicative of a relative lack of consensus regarding optimal classification, and diagnosis, of such problems. Depending on the precise definition and population studied, prevalence estimates for problematic internet use vary from 1 to 35% in young people, being highest in Asia.[2] Precise definition and nosological classification aside, excessive

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Discussion

Conclusion