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. 2017 Dec;33(4):1169-1185.
doi: 10.1007/s10899-017-9670-x.

Relationships Between Perceived Family Gambling and Peer Gambling and Adolescent Problem Gambling and Binge-Drinking

Zu Wei Zhai  1 , Sarah W Yip  2   3 , Marvin A Steinberg  4 , Jeremy Wampler  5 , Rani A Hoff  2 , Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin  2   6 , Marc N Potenza  2   3   6   7
Affiliations

Relationships Between Perceived Family Gambling and Peer Gambling and Adolescent Problem Gambling and Binge-Drinking

Zu Wei Zhai et al. J Gambl Stud. 2017 Dec.

Abstract

The study systematically examined the relative relationships between perceived family and peer gambling and adolescent at-risk/problem gambling and binge-drinking. It also determined the likelihood of at-risk/problem gambling and binge-drinking as a function of the number of different social groups with perceived gambling. A multi-site high-school survey assessed gambling, alcohol use, presence of perceived excessive peer gambling (peer excess-PE), and family gambling prompting concern (family concern-FC) in 2750 high-school students. Adolescents were separately stratified into: (1) low-risk, at-risk, and problem/pathological gambling groups; and, (2) non-binge-drinking, low-frequency-binge-drinking, and high-frequency-binge-drinking groups. Multinomial logistic regression showed that relative to each other, FC and PE were associated with greater likelihoods of at-risk and problem/pathological gambling. However, only FC was associated with binge-drinking. Logistic regression revealed that adolescents who endorsed either FC or PE alone, compared to no endorsement, were more likely to have at-risk and problem/pathological gambling, relative to low-risk gambling. Adolescents who endorsed both FC and PE, compared to PE alone, were more likely to have problem/pathological gambling relative to low-risk and at-risk gambling. Relative to non-binge-drinking adolescents, those who endorsed both FC and PE were more likely to have low- and high-frequency-binge-drinking compared to FC alone or PE alone, respectively. Family and peer gambling individually contribute to adolescent at-risk/problem gambling and binge-drinking. Strategies that target adolescents as well as their closely affiliated family and peer members may be an important step towards prevention of harm-associated levels of gambling and alcohol use in youths.

Keywords: Adolescence; Alcohol; Binge drinking; Family; Peers; Problem gambling.

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Conflict of interest statement

COMPLIANCE WITH ETHICAL STANDARDS

Conflicts of Interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest with respect to the content of this manuscript. Dr. Potenza has: consulted for and advised Lundbeck, Ironwood, Shire, INSYS Rivermend Health, Opiant/Lakelight Therapeutics and Jazz Pharmaceuticals; received research support from the National Institutes of Health, Veteran’s Administration, Mohegan Sun Casino, the National Center for Responsible Gaming and its affiliated Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders, and Pfizer; participated in surveys, mailings, or telephone consultations related to drug addiction, impulse control disorders or other health topics; consulted for law offices and the federal public defender’s office in issues related to impulse control disorders; provides clinical care in the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Problem Gambling Services Program; performed grant reviews for the National Institutes of Health and other agencies; has guest-edited journal sections; given academic lectures in grand rounds, CME events and other clinical/scientific venues; and generated books or chapters for publishers of mental health texts. Other authors report no disclosures. The views presented in this manuscript represent those of the authors and not necessarily those of the funding agencies who had no input into the content of the manuscript.

Informed Consent: All participants gave informed consent.

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