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. 2015 Dec:51:57-64.
doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2015.07.006. Epub 2015 Jul 17.

Correlates of gambling on high-school grounds

Dawn W Foster  1 , Rani A Hoff  2 , Corey E Pilver  3 , Yvonne H C Yau  2 , Marvin A Steinberg  4 , Jeremy Wampler  5 , Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin  1 , Marc N Potenza  6
Affiliations

Correlates of gambling on high-school grounds

Dawn W Foster et al. Addict Behav. 2015 Dec.

Abstract

Objective: This study examined adolescent gambling on school grounds (GS+) and how such behavior was associated with gambling-related attitudes. Further, we examined whether GS+ moderated associations between at-risk problem-gambling (ARPG) and gambling behaviors related to gambling partners.

Method: Participants were 1988 high-school students who completed survey materials. Demographic, perceptions, attitudes, and gambling variables were stratified by problem-gambling severity (ARPG versus recreational gambling) and GS+ status. Chi-square and adjusted logistic regression models were used to examine relationships among study variables.

Results: Nearly 40% (39.58%) of students reported past-year GS+, with 12.91% of GS+ students, relative to 2.63% of those who did not report gambling on school grounds (GS-), meeting DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling (p<0.0001). In comparison to GS- students, GS+ students were more likely to report poorer academic achievement and more permissive attitudes towards gambling behaviors. Weaker links in GS+ students, in comparison with GS-, students, were observed between problem-gambling severity and gambling with family members (interaction odds ratio (IOR)=0.60; 95% CI=0.39-0.92) and gambling with friends (IOR=0.21; 95% CI=0.11-0.39).

Conclusions: GS+ is common and associated with pathological gambling and more permissive attitudes towards gambling. The finding that GS+ (relative to GS-) youth show differences in how problem-gambling is related to gambling partners (friends and family) warrants further investigation regarding whether and how peer and familial interactions might be improved to diminish youth problem-gambling severity. The high frequency of GS+ and its relationship with ARPG highlights a need for school administrators and personnel to consider interventions that target school-based gambling.

Keywords: Adolescent; At-risk; Gambling; School.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest with respect to the content of this manuscript.

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