The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of co-morbid mental illnesses among older adults in Illinois who gamble frequently. Two hundred adults 55 years of age or older will be recruited for participation in the study. The following screens will be employed: South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), National Opinion Research Center DSM-IV Screen (NODS) for Gambling Problems, Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), SF-36 Health Survey, Personality Disorder Questionnaire (PDQ-4+) and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Individuals who score 5 or more on the NODS will be asked to complete the Gambling Impact and Behavior Study questionnaire. A Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) score will be determined for each participant. It is hypothesized that older adults may be at risk for developing problem gambling behaviors due to an increased popularity of gambling, in general as well as group trips to casinos and bingo games. In addition, comorbid mental illnesses such as depression and dementia could make older adults more vulnerable to problems associated with gambling and, therefore need to be assessed in this population. A profile of the at risk older adult will be determined from the data collected. Early findings suggest that depression, bipolar disorder, alcoholism, obsessive compulsive disorder and personality disorders are among the comorbid psychiatric illnesses.
Session #1219 - Poster Session I
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)