Gender differences in the associations of gambling activities and suicidal behaviors with problem gambling in a nationally representative French sample Mathilde M. Husky a, ⁎, Grégory Michel b , Jean-Baptiste Richard c , Romain Guignard c , François Beck d,e,f a Institut de Psychologie, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Institut Universitaire de France, Boulogne Billancourt, France b Laboratoire EA 4139 Psychologie, Santé et Qualité de Vie, Université Bordeaux Segalen, Bordeaux, France c French Institute for Health Promotion and Health Education (INPES), Saint-Denis, France d French Monitoring Center on Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT), Paris, France e Cermes3—Cesames team (Research Centre Medicine, Sciences, Health, Mental Health, Health Policy), Paris, France f René Descartes Paris V University, CNRS, UMR 8211, INSERM, U988, EHESS, Paris, France HIGHLIGHTS • We examine gender differences in factors associated with gambling problems. • We use survey data from a representative sample of French residents (n = 27,653). • Gender differences were found in gambling activities. • Suicidal behaviors were more strongly associated with gambling problems in women. • Educating the public about gender-specific risks is suggested. abstract article info Available online 19 January 2015 Keywords: Moderate risk gambling Problem gambling Suicidal behavior Gender Introduction: The objectives of the present study are to describe gender differences in factors associated with moderate risk and problem gambling. Method: Data were extracted from the 2010 Health Barometer, a large survey on a representative sample of the general population aged 15–85 years living in France (n = 27,653), carried out by the National Institute for Health Promotion and Health Education. Data were collected between October 2009 and July 2010. A comput- er-assisted telephone interview system was used. Results: The findings indicate that men are three times more likely to experience problems with gambling. Men and women have different patterns of gambling activities. Men were more involved with Rapido, internet gam- bling, sports and racetrack betting, poker, and casino tables, whereas women gambled more often on scratch games. Both men and women engaging in immediate reward games were significantly more likely to experience difficulties with gambling. This association, however, was stronger in women. Furthermore, suicidal ideation and behaviors were more likely to be associated with gambling problems in women as compared to men. Conclusions: The study underscores the importance of considering gender-related differences in the study of gambling behaviors. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Pathological gambling has an estimated lifetime prevalence of 0.42% in the U.S. (Petry, Stinson, & Grant, 2005), which is similar to what has been reported in several Western European countries including France (Costes et al., 2011). While the prevalence of prob- lem gambling is low, the consequences of this addiction are serious ranging from debt and bankruptcy to familial problems, legal prob- lems, and significant psychological distress. Problem gambling is also associated with a wide range of psychiatric disorders including substance use disorders, anxiety and mood disorders as well as per- sonality disorders (Cunningham-Williams, Cottler, Compton, & Spitznagel, 1998; Petry et al., 2005; Welte et al., 2001). Furthermore, elevated levels of suicidal ideation and prior attempts were found in Addictive Behaviors 45 (2015) 45–50 ⁎ Corresponding author at: Institut de Psychologie, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Institut Universitaire de France, 71 Avenue Edouard Vaillant, 92774 Boulogne Billancourt Cedex, France. E-mail address: mathilde.husky@parisdescartes.fr (M.M. Husky). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2015.01.011 0306-4603/© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Addictive Behaviors