Gambling addiction seems to be a particular concern for some Native Americans, with the problem often going hand in hand with other psychiatric disorders, new research indicates.

In a study of more than 1,200 Native American and Hispanic American veterans of all ages, researchers found that 10 percent of Native Americans had had a problem with pathological gambling at some time in their lives. That compared with roughly 4 percent of Hispanic veterans.

Pathological gambling is a psychiatric problem that is diagnosed when a person meets at least 5 of 10 criteria - such as being preoccupied by gambling, needing to make ever larger bets to gain a “high,” and lying to family and others to cover up the behavior.

In short, gambling becomes a prime focus of a person’s life, according to Dr. Joseph Westermeyer of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, the lead author of the new study.

Some past studies have suggested that Native Americans have higher-than-average rates of problem gambling, though those have been telephone surveys, Westermeyer noted in an interview. In addition, there has been some evidence that veterans in general may be at higher risk - possibly as a result of combat stress or other trauma - he added.

In their study, reported in the American Journal of Public Health, Westermeyer and his colleagues found that Native American veterans had more than twice the rate of pathological gambling as Hispanic vets had.

Other researchers who’ve found a similar pattern among non-veterans have theorized that the high prevalence of legal gambling venues on reservations could help explain the finding, Westermeyer pointed out.

On the other hand, he said, many Native Americans say they have never gambled, and they seem more likely than other ethnic groups to avoid gambling altogether.

Also in line with past research, Westermeyer and his colleagues found that 70 percent of all problem gamblers in their study had dealt with substance abuse, anxiety, depression or other psychiatric conditions during their lives.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder was fairly common among the veterans - affecting 12 percent of Hispanics, and 14 percent of Native Americans at some time - and the disorder often co-existed with problem gambling.

It’s unknown, according to Westermeyer, whether the veterans’ gambling problems preceded or followed these other psychiatric conditions.

What does seem clear, he said, is that pathological gambling and other mental health disorders do often go hand in hand. Past studies have found this to be true of people receiving treatment, but this study, Westermeyer explained, shows that the same pattern exists among people who have yet to seek help.

The results, he said, highlight the importance of not only addressing people’s gambling problems, but also uncovering and treating any other psychiatric disorders they may have.

In one surprise finding, Westermeyer and his colleagues discovered that the rate of pathological gambling was actually somewhat higher among Native American women than men. A similar pattern emerged among Hispanic veterans, but the number of women was too low to draw firm conclusions, according to the researchers.

The higher rate of problem gambling among women could be interpreted in two broad ways, Westermeyer said. One possibility, he noted, is that female veterans are different from women in the general population when it comes to gambling problems.

On the other hand, the researcher said, the findings could reflect an overall “feminization” of gambling in the U.S. that some other investigators have noted.

The female veterans, Westermeyer said, may be the “canaries in the coal mine,” signaling a growing trend among women in general.

SOURCE: American Journal of Public Health, May 2005.