Gambling disorder (GD) is classified as a behavioural addiction and has some phenotypic similarities with substance use disorders (SUDs). Childhood adversity and life stressors are associated with increased risk for SUDs in adulthood. However, there is limited research investigating the association between childhood trauma, stressors and behavioural addictions such as GD. In this case–control cross-sectional study, 31 adult patients with GD were compared to 31 matched healthy controls (HCs) in terms of exposure to early adversity using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF). In addition, past 12-month stressful life event exposure was assessed using the Life Event Stress Scale (LESS) and investigated as a possible moderator of the relationship between childhood trauma and GD by means of a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Logistic regression analyses were used to test if childhood trauma (CTQ-SF) and its subtypes were significant predictors of a diagnosis of GD. Severity of childhood trauma in general, and on all five subtypes, was significantly higher in GD patients compared to HCs. Childhood trauma was a significant predictor of a diagnosis of GD, with physical neglect being the single trauma subtype to significantly increase odds of GD in adulthood. Stressful life events moderated the relationship between childhood trauma and GD, i.e. childhood trauma was significantly higher in GD patients compared to HCs when LESS was low. The findings support a link between childhood trauma and GD, with current stress as a moderating variable, and may be useful for future individualized therapeutic strategies.

赌博性疾病（GD）被归类为行为成瘾，并且与物质使用障碍（SUD）具有某些表型相似性。童年时期的逆境和生活压力与成年后SUD风险增加有关。然而，关于儿童期创伤，压力源和行为成瘾（例如GD）之间关系的研究很少。在本病例对照横断面研究中，使用儿童创伤问卷（CTQ-SF）将31名成年的GD患者与31名相匹配的健康对照（HCs）在早期逆境中的暴露进行了比较。此外，使用生活事件压力量表（LESS）评估了过去12个月的应激性生活事件暴露，并通过双向方差分析（ANOVA）调查了儿童创伤与GD之间关系的可能调节因素。Logistic回归分析用于测试儿童创伤（CTQ-SF）及其亚型是否是诊断GD的重要预测指标。与HCs相比，GD患者的儿童创伤和所有五个亚型的严重程度均明显更高。儿童期创伤是诊断GD的重要预测指标，而身体上的疏忽是导致成年期GD几率显着增加的唯一创伤亚型。紧张的生活事件缓解了儿童期创伤与GD之间的关系，即，当LESS较低时，与HCs相比，GD患者的儿童期创伤明显更高。这些发现支持了童年创伤和GD之间的联系，当前的压力是调节变量，可能对将来的个性化治疗策略有用。