Racial-ethnic differences in impulsivity and compulsivity in recreational gambling.
BACKGROUND
Prior data indicate high rates of problematic gambling in some racial-ethnic minority groups, yet research into mechanisms contributing to these associations is scant. The aim of the present study was to examine whether impulsivity and compulsivity differ across racial-ethnic groups in recreational gamblers.


METHODS
Young adult non-treatment seeking recreational gamblers were recruited from the general community. Presence of mental health diagnoses (including gambling disorder) was exclusionary. Participants completed clinical interviews, questionnaires, and cognitive tasks germane to impulsivity and compulsivity.


RESULTS
202 recreational gamblers (63.5% males) had mean (standard deviation) age 23.8 (2.7) years and identified using the following racial-ethnic identities: Caucasian (N = 145), African-American (N = 41), and Asian (N = 16). Groups did not differ on age, gender, education, or impulsivity measures. Compared to the Caucasian group, the African-American group reported significantly higher endorsement of sub-syndromal disordered gambling, higher compulsivity scores, and exhibited decision-making decrements on the Gambling Task. The Asian and Caucasian groups did not differ on any measure.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that young adult African-American recreational gamblers may experience greater levels of subsyndromal gambling compared to other racial-ethnic groups, and this appears linked with aspects of compulsivity. Future work should evaluate gambling longitudinally to better understand nuanced presentations across different groups, including in other age groups.
['Chamberlain|Samuel R|SR|', 'Grant|Jon E|JE|']
D001741:African Americans D016739:Behavior, Addictive D003192:Compulsive Behavior D005006:Ethnicity D005260:Female D005715:Gambling D006801:Humans D007175:Impulsive Behavior D008297:Male D008913:Minority Groups D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires D044465:Whites D055815:Young Adult
Impulsivity Gambling Cognition Addiction Phenomenology Race