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Senior Citizens Gamble Big and Often
Jan. 19, 2005 - A significant percentage of older
Americans may be "at-risk" gamblers who tend to bet large amounts of
money or more than they can afford, according to a study published in
the January edition of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry,
which also found gambling to be a common pursuit among seniors.
Researchers at Pennsylvania State College of
Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania surveyed 843 elderly people
65 years and older and discovered that 70 percent had been involved in
at least one gambling activity in the past year and 11 percent fit the
criteria of at-risk gamblers: they had recently laid down more than $100
on a single bet and/or they had bet more than they could afford to lose.
The study, which surveyed a random sample of
elderly patients at primary care clinics, found that women were just as
likely as men to be gamblers and to show symptoms of gambling problems.
And while those surveyed may have had easier access to gambling options
than people living in other parts of the country, the investigators were
still surprised at the relatively high percentage that fits the at-risk
profile. The study is the largest to-date to study gambling among older
adults.
"Results from this study raise significant public
health concerns that gambling and at-risk gambling are prevalent in
older men and women," the authors state. "Although many older adults
view gambling as harmless entertainment and participate in some form of
gambling without significant problems, a significant minority suffers
disastrous consequences."
In the United States, gambling is a $40 billion
industry and some type of legal gambling opportunity is now available in
every state except Utah and Hawaii. Gambling appears to be a common
pursuit of older Americans. In a 2001 study, seniors rated a trip to a
casino as their most popular day-trip social outing.
Pathological gambling is now recognized as a
psychiatric disorder and has been associated with high rates of suicide
attempts, domestic violence and crime driven by a need to cover losses.
David Oslin, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania, the study's senior
author, said the older at-risk gamblers identified in the survey would
not be considered pathological. Nonetheless, he said a tendency to bet
high and bet more than one can afford could be particularly perilous for
an older person.
For example, seniors are more likely than younger
people to be living on fixed incomes-so even small losses can have a big
impact. And they're more likely to have some type of age-related mental
impairment affecting their ability to bet responsibly.
"These seniors who are at-risk may not be ready for
gamblers anonymous but many of them don't have a lot of money and
spending on gambling could mean that they won't have anything left to
buy medicines," Oslin said.
Oslin and his colleagues also were troubled by the
fact that among survey participants, at-risk gamblers were more likely
than non-gamblers to be a member of a minority group. Their concern is
based on previous research that has found "members of ethnic minority
groups are less likely than other adult pathological gamblers to seek
treatment." Furthermore, in the U.S. minorities are the fastest-growing
sector of a rapidly expanding elderly population.
Finally, the study revealed a potential link
between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and gambling problems,
which could suggest the need to "screen for gambling problems among
veterans and other groups at increased risk for PTSD."
"Healthcare professionals must increase awareness
of and educate the public about the potential negative effects of
gambling, particularly for financially vulnerable, minority and
cognitively impaired older citizens, who may be particularly at risk,"
the authors conclude. "Screening to improve early identification of
gambling problems in older adults" and counseling patients with
cognitive impairment and their families about gambling and the potential
financial impacts of decreased judgment, may serve to reduce the
personal, family and social cost of problem gambling in older adults."
The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry,
now published monthly, is the official journal of the American
Association for Geriatric Psychiatry and can be found online at
http://ajgp.psychiatryonline.org.
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