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. 2007 Mar;12(3):199-204.
doi: 10.1093/pch/12.3.199.

Beyond drugs and alcohol: Including gambling in a high-risk behavioural framework

Carmen Messerlian  1 , Meredith Gillespie, Jeffrey L Derevensky
Affiliations

Beyond drugs and alcohol: Including gambling in a high-risk behavioural framework

Carmen Messerlian et al. Paediatr Child Health. 2007 Mar.

Abstract
in English, French

Studies throughout North America have suggested that more adolescents are gambling today than in the past. Over the past decade, gambling has become a popular form of entertainment and part of mainstream society. With the increase in gambling availability has come a rise in not only the number of youth who participate in gambling, but also the number who exhibit serious gambling problems. There is growing concern that adolescents and young adults are the highest risk group for problem gambling. The National Research Council, in its critical review of pathological gambling, indicated that the prevalence of problem gambling among adolescents is consistently higher than among adults, despite differences in measurement. Yet, efforts to prevent and treat problems among this population have only recently emerged as an important adolescent health issue. The present article reviews the risk factors, mental health correlates and warning signs of adolescent gambling problems, with the aim of raising awareness among health professionals working with youth of the need to address this issue within their practices.

Selon des études menées en Amérique du Nord, plus d’adolescents s’adonnent aux jeux de hasard que par le passé. Depuis dix ans, les jeux de hasard sont devenus une forme populaire de divertissement et partie intégrante de la société dominante. La plus grande accessibilité aux jeux de hasard s’associe à une augmentation non seulement des jeunes qui y participent, mais également du nombre qui présentent de graves problèmes de jeu. On se demande de plus en plus si les adolescents et les jeunes adultes ne constitueraient pas le groupe le plus vulnérable aux problèmes de jeu. Le National Research Council des États-Unis, dans son analyse critique du jeu pathologique, a souligné que la prévalence de problèmes de jeu chez les adolescents est toujours plus élevée que chez les adultes, malgré les mesures différentes utilisées. Pourtant, il a fallu attendre tout récemment pour que les efforts en vue de prévenir et de traiter les problèmes au sein de cette population soient considérés comme une question importante en santé des adolescents. Le présent article traite des facteurs de risque, des corrélats sur la santé mentale et des signes annonciateurs de problèmes de jeu chez les adolescents, et il vise à sensibiliser les professionnels de la santé qui travaillent avec les jeunes à la nécessité d’aborder la question dans leur pratique.

Keywords: Gambling; High-risk behaviour; Prevention.

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References

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