Adolescent Problem Gambling in Rural Ghana: Prevalence and Gender Differentiation

Abstract

Problem gambling among young people is now a public health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the behaviour remains understudied, particularly, among rural-dwelling young people in countries within the subregion. We aimed to estimate the 12 months prevalence of problem gambling and to describe the overall and gender differences and commonalities in personal factors and social adversities associated with problem gambling among adolescents in rural Ghana. We conducted a cross-sectional survey involving a random sample of 1101 in-school adolescents aged 10–19 years in a rural district in Eastern Ghana; we used the DSM-IV-Multiple Response-Juvenile (DSM-IV-MR-J) questionnaire to assess problem gambling during the previous 12 months. Personal lifestyle and psychosocial variables were assessed using adopted items from the 2012 WHO–Global School-based Student Health Survey. Overall, three in 10 adolescents (3 in 10 females; 4 in 10 males) in rural Ghana reported problem gambling in the previous 12 months. Female adolescents who experienced problem gambling were more likely to report family-related social adversities, while adolescent male problem gambling was associated with school-related factors and interpersonal factors outside the family context. Regardless of gender, sexual abuse victimisation was associated with three times increase in the odds of experiencing problem gambling. Relative to the prevalence of gambling among adolescents in urban contexts in other countries within sub-Saharan Africa, the estimates of problem gambling among in-school rural adolescents in Ghana are higher. Although further studies are needed to understand the nuances of the behaviour, the evidence of this study underscores the need for general and targeted health promotion, intervention and prevention efforts to mitigate the family, school, and interpersonal social adversities associated with adolescent problem gambling in rural Ghana.

Poremecaj kockanja - prevencija medu adolescentima

“…U Republici Hrvatskoj (RH) je barem jednom u životu neku igru na sreću igralo 60,3 % odraslih, a 2,2 % osoba pati od negativnih posljedica uzrokovanih kockanjem (6). Istraživanja su pokazala kako je prevalencija kockanja kod adolescenata veća nego prevalencija u odrasloj dobi te da u nerazvijenim zemljama svijeta može sezati i do 34,3 % (7). Prevalencija kockanja i problematičnog kockanja među adolescentima u RH također je visoka, pa je tako istraživanje iz 2013. g. pokazalo kako 12,9 % adolescenata ima ozbiljne psihosocijalne probleme uzrokovane kockanjem (8).…”

“…In the Republic of Croatia (RH), 60.3% of adults have played a game of chance at least once in their life and 2.2% of people suffer from the negative consequences caused by gambling (6). Research has shown that the prevalence of gambling in adolescents is higher than the prevalence in adults and that in underdeveloped countries it can reach up to 34.3% (7). The prevalence of gambling and problem gambling among adolescents in Croatia is also high.…”

Gambling in Sub-Saharan Africa: Traditional Forms and Emerging Technologies

“…A common observation and concern raised in this literature is that many young people participate in gambling to the detriment of personal or household finances, with consequences for their diet, hygiene, relationships and education, all of which have knock-on impacts on health [ 37 •, 45 , 68 , 85 ]. Further common findings note that significant proportions of young people display problematic gambling behaviours, which are sometimes framed as addictions [ 11 , 35 , 41 , 48 , 50 , 51 , 58 , 61 , 86 ], and that various forms of mental distress accompanied these behaviours [ 2 •, 38 , 45 , 47 •, 51 , 87 ]. The most recent development in the literature has been to identify connections between gambling and suicidality, with papers from Malawi [ 38 ] and on East African Community countries [ 47 •] documenting cases of suicide among gamblers.…”

“…The evidence that gambling is detrimental to public health in African contexts has often been linked to legislative and regulatory weakness [ 39 ••]. Multiple studies report that underage gambling is common, pointing to limited regulation and enforcement [ 38 , 47 •, 48 , 55 , 58 , 59 , 86 , 88 , 89 ]. This is of particular concern, given the gambling harms identified above and the potential for adolescents to have their psychosocial development disrupted by gambling problems and their common sequelae.…”

Suicidal ideation and associated factors among school-going adolescents in rural Ghana

“…Considering that this study is part of a larger study from Ghana, detailed information about the methods used has been reported elsewhere (Odame, Quarshie, Oti-Boadi, Andoh-Arthur, & Asante, 2020). We conducted a cross-sectional survey involving Junior High School 4 (JHS) adolescents in the Ayensuano rural district in the eastern region of Ghana (Ghana Statistical Service, 2014), using a self-report anonymous questionnaire.…”