| The connection between problem gambling and deviant behavior has been
under-explored in the sociological literature, and the studies that
have been conducted have focused almost without exception on
individuals in treatment and in prisons/jails. Such data describe the
most severely impacted individuals, while a general population survey
identifies individuals from no gambling problems to subclinical and
clinical levels of severity. A study of this type would permit the
investigation of whether one's degree of symptomatology has a positive
relationship with crime, drug use, and mental health problems
generally. For this investigation, we use data from a landmark 1998
national survey of gambling behavior (N=2,417), comprised of a
random-digit dial telephone survey and a supplemental in-person survey
of gaming facility patrons (N=530). Both interviews included a
diagnostic module for pathological gambling based on the DSM-IV.
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Updated 05/20/2006