Abstract
The prevalence of antisocial personality disorder and its relationship to criminal offenses in pathological gamblers was investigated. A semi-structured interview schedule containing DSM-III criteria for antisocial personality and the California Psychological Inventory Socialisation subscale was administered to a sample of 306 pathological gamblers. Of the total sample, 35% reported no offense. Forty eight percent admitted to the commission of a gambling related offense, 6% to a non-gambling related offense, and 11% to both types of offense. Fifteen percent of subjects met DSM-III diagnostic criteria for antisocial personality disorder. Though these subjects were at greatest risk for committing criminal offenses, offenses were committed independently of DSM-III antisocial personality disorder in the majority of gamblers. It was concluded that features of antisocial personality emerged in response to repeated attempts to conceal excessive gambling and gambling induced financial difficulties.
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This study was supported by a grant from the Criminology Research Council. The views expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Council. The contribution of Anna Frankova, Research Assistant, is gratefully acknowledged.
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Blaszczynski, A.P., McConaghy, N. Antisocial personality disorder and pathological gambling. J Gambling Stud 10, 129–145 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02109936
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02109936