Personality Disorders: the Treatment of Gambling Disorders in Male Patients from the Perspective of Cloninger's Theory
Abstract
AIM: The first objective was to conduct a comparative clinical study comparing a set of patients being treated for a GD with the norm. The second objective was to divide the group of patients being treated for gambling disorders according to the scale of Self-directedness (SD) into a group without personality disorders, a group with suspected personality disorders, and a group with personality disorders.
The third objective was to find a relationship between the observed dimensions of Cloninger's questionnaire and the severity of the problems associated with gambling. METHODS: We used the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) and a standardised version of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-r) revised for use in the Czech Republic.
SAMPLE: A total of 147 clients admitted to the Bohnice, Kroměříž, and Opava psychiatric hospitals with the Gambling Disorder diagnosis. Their average age was 34.6 years.
RESULTS: Patients with a GD scored higher on the Novelty Seeking (NS) scale and lower on the Selfdirectedness (SD), Cooperativeness (CO), and Reward Dependence (RD) scales in the TCI-r when compared to the norm of healthy men. We identified three groups of gamblers: i) without comorbidity with PD (54.7%), ii) with a tendency to PD (32.8%), and iii) suspected of PD (12.5%).
The total SOGS score correlates slightly with the Novelty Seeking (NS), Persistence (PS), Self-directedness (SD), and Self-transcendence subscales of the TCI-r. CONCLUSION: In terms of personality profile, patients with a GD are a heterogeneous group.
The sample has a slightly higher prevalence of personality disorders than the general population. This comorbidity influences the course of their gambling career and potentially their treatment.