Exploring the placement of gambling problems within the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology
Martí Valls, Carla LU
; Håkansson, Anders
LU
and Cervin, Matti
LU
(2025)
In PLoS ONE
20(3).
- Abstract
The placement of gambling problems within the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) framework, which organizes psychopathology alongside broad overarching symptom spectra, is unclear. With the objective to identify associations between gambling problems and the internalizing, externalizing, and thought disorder spectra of the HiTOP, we distributed an online survey to a sample of 1005 Swedish gamblers (52.4% men, aged 18 to 60 and older). Gambling problems were measured using the Problem Gambling Severity Index, and the main HiTOP spectra were assessed with brief versions of the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms II, the Externalizing Spectrum Inventory, and the Thought Disorder Scale. Exploratory and confirmatory... (More)
The placement of gambling problems within the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) framework, which organizes psychopathology alongside broad overarching symptom spectra, is unclear. With the objective to identify associations between gambling problems and the internalizing, externalizing, and thought disorder spectra of the HiTOP, we distributed an online survey to a sample of 1005 Swedish gamblers (52.4% men, aged 18 to 60 and older). Gambling problems were measured using the Problem Gambling Severity Index, and the main HiTOP spectra were assessed with brief versions of the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms II, the Externalizing Spectrum Inventory, and the Thought Disorder Scale. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis showed that the brief HiTOP scales adequately captured the internalizing, externalizing, and thought disorder spectra. Within this structure, gambling problems emerged as a distinct factor significantly correlated with all three spectra and with unique associations with each: externalizing (β = 0.33, p < .001), thought disorder (β = 0.30, p = .001) and internalizing (β = 0.22, p = .022). In men, gambling problems were significantly associated with the thought disorder (β = 0.54, p < .001) and externalizing (β = 0.31, p < .001) spectra. In women, gambling problems were significantly associated with the externalizing (β = 0.39, p < .001) and internalizing (β = 0.35, p = .013) spectra. Our study is a first attempt to link gambling problems to the three main spectra of the HiTOP. Our findings show that gambling problems are associated with all three spectra and that there may be potential gender differences in the associations between gambling problems and co-occurring psychopathology.
(Less)
- author
- Martí Valls, Carla
LU
; Håkansson, Anders
LU
and Cervin, Matti
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Gambling, Gambling problems, Psychopathology, Mental Disorders, Externalizing behavior, Internalizing and externalizing psychiatric disorders, Internalizing behaviors, Thought disorder
- in
- PLoS ONE
- volume
- 20
- issue
- 3
- article number
- e0313532
- publisher
- Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:86000187066
- pmid:40043043
- ISSN
- 1932-6203
- DOI
- 10.1371/journal.pone.0313532
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Copyright: © 2025 Martí Valls et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
- id
- 08a42cec-1ccb-4177-8682-55381f0ddb5e
- date added to LUP
- 2025-03-06 11:00:20
- date last changed
- 2025-07-12 10:44:46
@article{08a42cec-1ccb-4177-8682-55381f0ddb5e,
abstract = {{<p>The placement of gambling problems within the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) framework, which organizes psychopathology alongside broad overarching symptom spectra, is unclear. With the objective to identify associations between gambling problems and the internalizing, externalizing, and thought disorder spectra of the HiTOP, we distributed an online survey to a sample of 1005 Swedish gamblers (52.4% men, aged 18 to 60 and older). Gambling problems were measured using the Problem Gambling Severity Index, and the main HiTOP spectra were assessed with brief versions of the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms II, the Externalizing Spectrum Inventory, and the Thought Disorder Scale. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis showed that the brief HiTOP scales adequately captured the internalizing, externalizing, and thought disorder spectra. Within this structure, gambling problems emerged as a distinct factor significantly correlated with all three spectra and with unique associations with each: externalizing (β = 0.33, p < .001), thought disorder (β = 0.30, p = .001) and internalizing (β = 0.22, p = .022). In men, gambling problems were significantly associated with the thought disorder (β = 0.54, p < .001) and externalizing (β = 0.31, p < .001) spectra. In women, gambling problems were significantly associated with the externalizing (β = 0.39, p < .001) and internalizing (β = 0.35, p = .013) spectra. Our study is a first attempt to link gambling problems to the three main spectra of the HiTOP. Our findings show that gambling problems are associated with all three spectra and that there may be potential gender differences in the associations between gambling problems and co-occurring psychopathology.</p>}},
author = {{Martí Valls, Carla and Håkansson, Anders and Cervin, Matti}},
issn = {{1932-6203}},
keywords = {{Gambling; Gambling problems; Psychopathology; Mental Disorders; Externalizing behavior; Internalizing and externalizing psychiatric disorders; Internalizing behaviors; Thought disorder}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{3}},
publisher = {{Public Library of Science (PLoS)}},
series = {{PLoS ONE}},
title = {{Exploring the placement of gambling problems within the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0313532}},
doi = {{10.1371/journal.pone.0313532}},
volume = {{20}},
year = {{2025}},
}