Gambling-Related Harms Among Adolescents: A Population-Based Study

Abstract

Internationally, and also in Europe, adolescent gambling is increasingly recognized as an important public health issue. Most research on adolescent gambling, however, is prevalence-focused and population-based studies are scarce. Few studies have examined gambling-related harms among adolescents. In a national sample, we examined self-experienced harms related to gambling and the relationship between reported harms and gambling behavior among Finnish adolescents. A national survey of 12-18-year-olds was conducted in Finland in 2011 (N = 4,566). Main measures were frequency of gambling and gambling-related harms reported during the past 6 months. The relationship between reported harms and gambling behavior was assessed using logistic regression analysis. Overall, 44% had gambled during the past 6 months. Of the sample, 12% were frequent gamblers (at least weekly) and 32% were occasional gamblers (monthly or less often). Compared to occasional gamblers, frequent gamblers were more likely to experience harms. The most commonly reported harms among frequent gamblers were "felt guilty or shameful due to gambling" (17%) followed by "problems with relationships" (13%) and "disruptions of daily rhythm" (10%). In age and gender-adjusted analysis, daily gamblers were significantly more likely to report all different types of harms when compared to other groups. These findings suggest that when planning and targeting youth gambling prevention and harm reduction strategies the nature and extent to which gambling may contribute to the different types of harms are important to consider.

Gambling and Video Game Playing Among Youth

“…There is a growing body of evidence from Europe (Kristiansen & Jensen, 2011;Luder, Berchtold, Akré, Michaud, & Surís, 2010;Olason, Skarphedinsson, Jonsdottir, Mikaelsson, & Gretarsson, 2006;Raisamo, Halme, Murto, & Lintonen, 2013), Canada and the United States (Derevensky, 2008;Derevensky, Shek, & Merrick, 2010;Huang & Boyer, 2007;Welte, Barnes, Tidwell, & Hoffman, 2009), the United Kingdom (Wardle, Moody, Spence, et al, 2011), Australia (Delfabbro, King, & Griffiths, 2014;Jackson, Dowling, Thomas, Bond, & Patton, 2008), and Asia (Liu, Luo, & Hao, 2013;Lostutter, Larimer, Neighbors, & Kaljee, 2013) indicating that young people worldwide do indeed participate in both regulated and unregulated forms of gambling, including lottery purchases (especially scratch tickets),…”

Teacher Awareness and Attitudes Regarding Adolescent Risk Behaviours: a Sample of Finnish Middle and High School Teachers

“…Approximately 20 000 slot machines are not only available in gambling venues but in kiosks, shops, shopping centers, hotels, coffee shops, gas stations where youngsters have access into (Warpenius et al 2012). Based on a population study ( N  = 4566) conducted in 2011, 44 % of 12 to18-year-old Finns had gambled during the past 6 months (Raisamo et al 2013, 2015). Furthermore, a nationwide School Health Promotion Study ( N  = 101,167) conducted in 2010–2011 revealed that 62 % of the 14 to16-year-olds had gambled during the previous year (Räsänen et al 2015).…”

Problem gambling and psychological distress: a cross-national perspective on the mediating effect of consumer debt and debt problems among emerging adults

“…Prevalence of problem gambling reported in studies ranges from 0.2 to 12.3% among adolescents and young people aged 10 to 24 [22]. Potentially harmful effects of gambling on young people specifically include social problems, poor school performance [27, 28], and psychological distress [29, 30]. Problem gambling also has a high comorbidity with other psychological disorders, such as alcohol and substance abuse, as well as mood and anxiety disorders, and depression and internalizing disorders in general [31].…”