Presence of psychiatric comorbidities, concurrent alcohol and substance use disorders, and HBV, HCV, and HIV seroprevalence in patients with gambling disorder: a retrospective study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51982/bagimli.618Keywords:
Gambling disorder, Behavioral addiction, Hepatitis B virus, Hepatitis C virus, Human immunodeficiency virus, İnfectious diseaseAbstract
Objective: Gambling disorder (GD) is a public health concern frequently associated with psychiatric and alcohol/substance use comorbidities. While screening for blood-borne infections (hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)) is standard in substance use treatment, seroprevalence data among individuals with GD remain limited. This study evaluated psychiatric comorbidities, concurrent alcohol/substance use disorders, and HBV, HCV, and HIV seroprevalence in GD patients attending a behavioral addiction clinic.
Methods: This retrospective study evaluated 177 patients diagnosed with GD (DSM-5 criteria) at Ankara Etlik City Hospital (January- July 2025). Sociodemographic data, substance use history, and psychiatric comorbidities were extracted from medical records. Viral markers (HBsAg, anti-HCV, anti-HIV) were analyzed via ELISA. Statistical analyses included Student’s t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-square test, and Odds Ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals.
Results: Participants were predominantly male (94,9%); mean age was 34,32±7,82 years. HBsAg and anti-HCV positivity were both 0.6%; no HIV- positive cases were detected. Psychiatric comorbidity was present in 59,9% of patients, and 16.9% had concurrent alcohol/substance use disorders. Significant risk factors for additional addictions were being childless (OR: 2,45, p=0.030) and having psychiatric comorbidity (OR: 12,38, p=0.001). Physical comorbidities increased psychiatric disorder risk 4,82-fold (p=0.027).
Conclusion: Although viral seroprevalence was low, psychiatric and addiction-related comorbidities were prevalent among patients with GD. These findings underscore that a multidisciplinary assessment approach and targeted infection screening for appropriate high-risk individuals may be beneficial in behavioral addiction settings. Further studies with larger, diverse populations are warranted to confirm these observations.
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