Genetic and environmental influences on disordered gambling in men and women.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Twin registry observational cohort study evaluating genetic and environmental influences
PubMed 20530012 · doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.51
What was done
Researchers studied 4,764 twins from 2,889 twin pairs aged 32 to 43 years (57% women) from the Australian Twin Registry. Disordered gambling was evaluated using lifetime DSM-IV pathological gambling symptom counts to assess genetic and environmental risk factors and to test for quantitative or qualitative sex differences.
What was found
Genetic influences accounted for 49.2% (95% confidence interval, 26.7-60.9) of the variance in liability for disordered gambling. There was no evidence that shared environmental influences contributed to liability, and no evidence for quantitative or qualitative differences between men and women.
Why it matters
It demonstrates that genetic susceptibility to disordered gambling is equally important in women and men and suggests that the relevant genes overlap substantially between sexes.
Limits
The study is restricted to an Australian twin cohort aged 32 to 43 years, relies on retrospective self-report of lifetime symptoms, and the abstract does not report individual symptom prevalences or the non-shared environment point estimate.
Cited by
- contradicts Asians, and particularly Asian women, carry a genetic predisposition to gambling at higher rates than other racial groups.