Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Gambling and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD) in a Population of French Students

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Gambling Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADD/ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that can be exacerbated by psychosocial factors. Various studies confirm that the severity of a psychiatric disorder, particularly when it comes to ADHD, is strongly correlated with the amount of use. This study (1) evaluated the association between ADHD and gambling among young students; (2) determined which symptom among ADHD’s three symptoms (attention deficit, hyperactivity, or impulsivity) had the strongest association with video game addiction and gambling; and (3) determined the impact of the association between ADHD and video game addiction and gambling on self-esteem and academic performance of students. A total of 720 students (445 males and 274 females) were recruited from eight higher educational institutions of Ile de France. They all completed a battery of questionnaire consisting of Canadian Problem Gambling Index, UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale, Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS), Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) and Rosenberg scales, and socio-demographic data. 13.33 % of the participants had symptoms of ADHD during childhood (WURS scale score) and 40.41 % of them have symptoms of ADHD in adulthood (ASRS score). Finally, among the participants, 37.5 % had excessive gambling addiction, have positive results on WURS and ASRS scales, thus having a probable ADHD, whereas 14.55 % had no gambling addiction. The results demonstrated that adult ADHD was associated with gambling addiction. Significant associations were observed between ADHD and impulsivity, academic difficulties and gambling addiction. The association between ADHD and gambling seems to be common among vulnerable populations such as adolescents and could be related to variables such as self-esteem, which appears to potentially worsen the prognosis. Further research on this relationship is needed to optimize prevention strategies and effective treatment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adler, L. A., Guida, F., Irons, S., Rotrosen, J., & O’Donnell, K. (2009). Screening and imputed prevalence of ADHD in adult patients with comorbid substance use disorder at a residential treatment facility. Postgraduate Medicine, 121, 7–10.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Adler, L. A., Spencer, T., Faraone, S. V., Kessler, R. C., Howes, M. J., Biederman, J., et al. (2006). Validity of pilot Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) to rate adult ADHD symptoms. Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, 18, 145–148.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Alessi, S. M., & Petry, N. M. (2003). Pathological gambling is associated with impulsivity in a delay discounting procedure. Behavioural Processes, 64, 345–354.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barkley, R. A., & Brown, T. E. (2008). Unrecognized attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults presenting with other psychiatric disorders. CNS Spectrums, 13(11), 977–984.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barkley, R. A., Fischer, M., Smallish, L., & Fletcher, K. (2002). The persistence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder into young adulthood as a function of reporting source and definition of disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 111, 279–289.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bergh, C., Eklund, T., Södersten, P., & Nordin, C. (1997). Altered dopamine function in pathological gambling. Psychological Medicine, 27, 473–475.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Billieux, J., Gay, P., Rochat, L., & Van der Linden, M. (2010). The role of urgency and its underlying psychological mechanisms in problematic behaviours. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 48(11), 1085–1096.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Billieux, J., Rochat, L., Ceschi, G., Carré, A., Offerlin-Meyer, I., Defeldre, A.-C., et al. (2012). Validation of a short French version of the UPPS-P Impulsive Behaviour Scale. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 53, 609–615.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Blaszczynski, A. (2000). Pathways to pathological gambling: Identifying typologies. E-gambling: The Electronic Journal of Gambling Issues, 1, 1–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brand, M., Kalbe, E., Labudda, K., Fujiwara, E., Kessler, J., & Markowitsch, H. J. (2004). Decision-making impairments in patients with pathological gambling. Psychiatry Research, 133, 91–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Breyer, J. L., Botzet, A. M., Winters, K. C., Stinchfield, R. D., August, G., & Realmuto, G. (2009). Young adult gambling behaviors and their relationship with the persistence of ADHD. Journal of Gambling Studies, 25, 227–238.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carlton, P. G., Manowitz, P., & McBride, H. (1987). Attention deficit disorder and pathological gambling. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 4, 487–488.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carpentier, P. J., van Gogh, M. T., Knapen, L. J., Buitelaar, J. K., & De Jong, C. A. (2011). Influence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and conduct disorder on opioid dependence severity and psychiatric comorbidity in chronic methadone-maintained patients. European Addiction Research, 17, 10–20.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Castellanos, F. X. (1997). Toward a pathophysiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Clinical Pediatrics, 36, 381–393.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Castellanos, F. X., & Tannock, R. (2002). Neuroscience of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: The search for endophenotypes. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 3, 617–628.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cyders, M. A., & Smith, G. T. (2008). Emotion-based dispositions to rash action: Positive and negative urgency. Psychological Bulletin, 134, 807–828.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Davtian, M., Reid, R. C., & Fong, T. W. (2012). Investigating facets of personality in adult pathological gamblers with ADHD. Neuropsychiatry, 2(2), 163–174.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Diamond, A. (2005). Attention-deficit disorder (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder without hyperactivity): A neurobiologically and behaviorally distinct disorder from ADHD attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder (with hyperactivity). Development and Psychopathology, 17, 807–825.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Emmerik-Van Oortmerssen, K., Van de Glind, G., Koeter, M. W., Allsop, S. J., Auriacombe, M., Barta, C., et al. (2013). Psychiatric comorbidity in treatment-seeking substance use disorder patients with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Results of the IASP study. Addiction, 109, 262–272.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Faregh, N., & Derevensky, J. (2011). Gambling behavior among adolescents with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Gambling Studies, 27, 243–256.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fayyad, J., De Graaf, R., Kessler, R., Alonso, J., Angermeyer, M., et al. (2007). Cross-national prevalence and correlates of adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. British Journal of Psychiatry, 190, 402–409.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ferris, J., & Wynne, H. (2001). The Canadian Problem Gambling Index: Final report. Ottawa: Canadian Center on Substance Abuse.

    Google Scholar 

  • Galéra, C., Pingault, J.-B., Fombonne, E., & Michel, G. (2013). Attention problems in childhood and adult substance use. Journal of Pediatrics, 163, 1677–1683.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gendron, R. (2013). Revue de la littérature sur les études longitudinales relatives aux jeux de hasard et d’argent. Mise Sur Toi.

  • Goudriaan, A. E., Oosterlaan, J., Beurs, E., & van den Brink, W. (2005). Decision making in pathological gambling: A comparison between pathological gamblers, alcohol dependents, persons with Tourette syndrome, and normal controls. Cognitive Brain Research, 23(1), 137–151.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gupta, R., Nower, L., Derevensky, J., Blaszczynski, A., & Faregh, N. (2013). Problem gambling in adolescents: An examination of the pathways model. Journal of Gambling Studies, 29, 575–588.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hodgkins, P., Montejano, L., Sasané, R., & Huse, D. (2011). Cost of illness and comorbidities in adults diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A retrospective analysis. The Primary Care Companion to CNS Disorders. doi:10.4088/PCC.10m01030.

  • Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (Inserm). (2014). Conduites addictives chez les adolescents: Usages, prévention et accompagnement [rapport]. Paris: Les éditions Inserm.

  • Kessler, R. C., Adler, L., Ames, M., Demler, O., Faraone, S., Hiripi, E., et al. (2005). The World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS): A short screening scale for use in the general population. Psychological Medicine, 35, 245–256.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Klein, R. G., Mannuzza, S., Roizen, E., Hutchison, J. A., Olazaqasti, M. A., Lashua, E. C., et al. (2012). Clinical and functional outcome of childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder 33 years later. Archives of General Psychiatry, 69, 1295–1303.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Krause, J., & Krause, K. H. (2003). ADHS im Erwachsenenalter: Leitlinien auf der Basis eines Expertenkonsensus mit Unterstützung der DGPPN. Der Nervenarzt, 10, 939–946.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, A. J., Luty, J., Bogdan, N. A., Sahakian, B. J., & Clark, L. (2009). Problem gamblers share deficits in impulsive decision-making with alcohol-dependent individuals. Addiction, 104(6), 1006–1015.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Luman, M., Oosterlaan, J., & Sergeant, A. (2005). The impact of reinforcement contingencies on AD/HD: A review and theoretical appraisal. Clinical Psychology Review, 25, 183–213.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Martins, S. S., Tavares, H., Sabbatini da Silva, E., Lobo, D., Galetti, A. M., & Gentil, V. (2004). Pathological gambling, gender, and risk-taking behaviors. Addiction Behavior, 29, 1231–1235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLean, A., Dowson, J., Toone, B., Young, S., Bazanis, E., Robbins, T. W., et al. (2004). Characteristic neurocognitive profile associated with adult attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Psychological Medicine, 34, 681–692.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nower, L., & Blaszczynski, A. (2004). A pathways approach to treating youth gamblers. In J. Derevensky & R. Gupta (Eds.), Gambling problems in youth: Theoretical and applied perspectives (pp. 189–210). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Potenza, M. N., Leung, H. C., Blumberg, H. P., Peterson, B. S., Fulbright, R. K., Lacadie, C. M., et al. (2003). An fMRI stroop task study of ventromedial prefrontal cortical function in pathological gamblers. American Journal of Psychiatry, 160, 1990–1994.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Retz, W., & Rösler, M. (2005). ADHS und Straffälligkeit. In M.-A. Edel & W. Vollmoeller (Eds.), Aufmerksamkeitsdefizit-/Hyperaktivitätsstörung bei Erwachsenen (pp. 133–152). Berlin: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez-Jimenez, R., Avila, C., Jimenez-Arriero, M. A., Ponce, G., Monasor, R., & Jimenez, M. (2006). Impulsivity and sustained attention in pathological gamblers: Influence of childhood ADHD history. Journal of Gambling Studies, 22, 451–461.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Romo, L., Legauffre, C., Millea, S., Chèze, N., Fougères, A.-L., Marquez, S., et al. (2010). Psychometric properties of the French version of the Wender Utah Rating Scale and Brown’s Attention Deficit Disorders Scale for adults. L’encéphale, 36(5), 380–389.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rugle, L., & Melamed, L. (1993). Neuropsychological assessment of attention problems in pathological gamblers. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 181, 107–112.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sibley, M. H., & Yeguez, C. E. (2014). The impact of DSM-5 A-criteria changes on parent ratings of ADHD in adolescents. Journal of Attention Disorder. doi:10.1177/1087054714526040.

  • Van der Linden, M., d’Acremont, M., Zermatten, A., Jermann, F., Larøi, F., Willems, S., et al. (2006). A French adaptation of the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale: Confirmatory factor analysis in a sample of undergraduate students. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 22, 38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walther, B., Morgenstern, M., & Hanewinkel, R. (2014). Co-occurrence of addictive behaviours: Personality factors related to substance use, gambling and computer gaming. European Addiction Research, 18(4), 167–174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ward, M. F., Wender, P. H., & Reimherr, F. H. (1993). The Wender Utah Rating Scale: An aid in the retrospective diagnosis of childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 885–890.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weiss, G., Hechtman, L., Milroy, T., & Perlman, T. (1985). Psychiatric status of hyperactives as adults. A controlled prospective 15-year follow-up of 63 hyperactive children. Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 24, 211–220.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Whiteside, S. P., & Lynam, D. R. (2001). The five factor model and impulsivity: Using a structural model of personality to understand impulsivity. Personality and Individual Differences, 30(4), 669–689.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yen, J. Y., Yen, C. F., Chen, C. S., Tang, T. C., & Ko, C. H. (2009). The association between adult ADHD symptoms and Internet addiction among college students: The gender difference. CyberPsychology and Behavior, 12, 2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Conflict of interest

Our team of research has received funding directly from the gambling industry operators (FDJ and PMU). Scientific independence towards gambling industry operators is warranted. There were no constraints on publishing.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. EA CLIPSYD 44 30, UFR SPSE, Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense University, 200 avenue de la république, 92001, Nanterre Cedex, France

    L. Romo, J. J. Rémond, A. Coeffec, G. Kotbagi & S. Plantey

  2. Sport and Movement Research Center, CeRSM (EA 2931 CERSM), UFR SPSE, Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense University, 200 avenue de la république, 92001, Nanterre Cedex, France

    G. Kotbagi & L. Kern

  3. Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy

    F. Boz

Authors
  1. L. Romo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. J. Rémond
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A. Coeffec
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. G. Kotbagi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. S. Plantey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. F. Boz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. L. Kern
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to L. Romo.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Romo, L., Rémond, J.J., Coeffec, A. et al. Gambling and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD) in a Population of French Students. J Gambl Stud 31, 1261–1272 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-014-9515-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-014-9515-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation