The overlap between gambling and psychotropic drug consumption trajectories in early adolescence: a longitudinal genetically informative study
This study has a triple objective : 1- To determine the number, form and degree of overlap of typical trajectories of participation in gambling and the consumption of psychotropic substances among a sampling of twins at the beginning of adolescence ; 2- To verify the similarities and differences in regard to the genetic and environmental architecture of the gambling and psychotropic substance consumption trajectories ; 3- To determine the risk factors associated, in a predictive manner, with single or mixed trajectories of gambling and drug consumption. The final sampling was composed of 213 pairs of twins (122 monozygotic pairs and 91 dizigotic pairs of the same sex) raised in the same family. The data concerning gambling and drug consumption was gathered at the ages of 13, 14 and 15 years using self-administered measurement tools. The data concerning risk factors affected personal factors (that is, impulsiveness) and family factors measured at pre-adolescence. Analysis of the trajectories indicated two trajectories concerning participation in gambling and two concerning consumption of psychotropic substances. Genetically informative analyses also demonstrated that the trajectories concerning participation in gambling and consumption of psychotropic substances are mainly controlled by genetics. Lastly, analyses of regression revealed differences in the variables associated in a predictive manner to the single or mixed trajectories of gambling and psychotropic substance consumption. These results are considered in the light of changes in the DSM-V which establish a relation between problems involving gambling and the consumption of psychotropic substances.