Prevalence and Correlates of Gambling Problems Among a Nationally Representative Sample of Brazilian Adolescents

Abstract

The objectives of the study are: (a) to provide the first prevalence estimates of pathological gambling among Brazilian adolescents using an age-specific instrument in a nationally representative sample; (b) to investigate the extent to which adolescents participate in gambling activities in a developing country; and (c) to correlate different levels of gambling behavior with demographic variables. Multistage cluster sampling selected 3,007 individuals over 14 years of age from Brazilian household population. A total of 661 participants were between 14 and 17 years old. The Lie/Bet Questionnaire and the DSM-IV-MR-J were used for assessing problem and pathological gambling. 2.8% scored positive on the screening questionnaire, while 1.6% were classified as problem and pathological gamblers. Factors associated with problem and pathological gambling were male sex, not currently studying and considering religion as not important. Less than 4 months elapsed between the age of regular gambling involvement and the first gambling problem. Prevalence rates were quite similar from recent studies which used nationally representative samples. The association of problem and pathological gambling with male sex, school drop-out and low religiosity supports the Problem Behavior Theory. The fast progression to problem gambling adds evidence that adolescents may be more vulnerable to the effects of gambling.

Predictors of Outcome among Pathological Gamblers Receiving Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy

“…The results support the view that these variables are risk factors both for the development of the disorder and for poor response to treatment [32,54,57,58,59,60]. Although some studies have not identified a relationship between likelihood of dropout and years of education [6,16], these contradictory findings may be due to differences in the years of compulsory school education across countries.…”

Prevalence and correlates of problematic gambling among Danish adolescents

“…A prevalence rate of problem gambling of 9.0 per cent has been observed in a prevalence study among Scottish adolescents (Moodie & Finnigan, ). A recent comparison across countries with rather different gambling legislation, gambling culture and traditions such as England, Norway, Canada and the USA have documented prevalence rates for pathological gambling ranging from 0.9 to 3 per cent (Spritzer et al., ). Such findings call for attention because evidence from studies of adult populations have shown that adult pathological gamblers (who suffer various personal, familial, financial and health‐related problems) often began their gambling careers at a relatively young age (Shaffer & Hall, ) and that the earlier a person engages in gambling, the more likely he or she will become a pathological gambler (National Gambling Impact Study Commission, ).…”

Gambling in Brazil: a call for an open debate

“…Besides age and education enrolment, lack of the importance of religion was a risk factor for gambling problems, but most concerning was the fact that it took, on average, fewer than 4 months to evolve from regular to problem gambling, suggesting that adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the effects of gambling. The male-only nature of this subgroup is a further suggestion that women begin gambling later in life, and that adolescent gambling in Brazil is a predominantly male phenomenon [13].…”

“…adolescents [13], women [20], seniors [21], etc. 2 To educate and train staff from primary care and community services in how to identify and treat patients undergoing gambling problems and to check the effects of such training on the patients by developing appropriate scales that are easy to use [16].…”

“…As the sole gambling research team currently in activity in Brazil, the GOU from the University of São Paulo has established four priorities: 1 To advance studies at the population level of how variations in gambling regulation and cultural factors affect access to gambling and risk of developing gambling problems, while seeking to understand more clearly the peculiarities of gambling behaviours and related risks for specific segments of the population, i.e. adolescents [13], women [20], seniors [21], etc. 2 To educate and train staff from primary care and community services in how to identify and treat patients undergoing gambling problems and to check the effects of such training on the patients by developing appropriate scales that are easy to use [16].…”