May 21, 2015 04:54 PM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

New research suggests that people who are compulsive and habitual gamblers are often depressed.

A study led by Frédéric Dussault of the University of Quebec at Montreal found that 73 percent of the men in the study who had significant gambling issues also suffered from depressive problems.

"Gambling problems may be more a personal problem similar to an addiction: once acquired, they are difficult to get rid of," Dussault said in a statement.

For the study, researchers collected and analyzed data from nearly 1,200 kindergarten boys from economically disadvantaged areas in Montreal in Canada. Over the years information had been collected about the socio-family setting the boys grew up in, how impulsive they were and the quality of their relationships with their parents and friends. The current study includes data from 888 participants who were also asked at the ages of 17, 23 and 28 years old about possible gambling or depression problems.

Of the young men who participated in the study, only 3 percent experienced chronic gambling problems between the ages of 17 and 28.

"These problems develop hand-in-hand, becoming even more severe over time. This finding supports the notion that "pure" gamblers without related internalizing problems are an exception rather than the rule, at least during late adolescence to early adulthood. The likelihood is also greater that very impulsive boys will become increasingly depressed and have gambling problems," according to the study.

Based on the findings, Dussault suggests that gambling problems be treated together with depression.

The findings are detailed in the Journal of Gambling Studies.

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