Gambling, Substance Use and Violence in Male and Female Adolescents

• Published in: Journal of gambling studies 2020-12, Vol.36 (4), p.1301-1324
• Main Authors: Zhai, Zu Wei, Duenas, Georgina L., Wampler, Jeremy, Potenza, Marc N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior; Community and Environmental Psychology; Economics; Female; Gambling - epidemiology; Humans; Intimate Partner Violence - statistics & numerical data; Logistic Models; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Odds Ratio; Original Paper; Prevalence; Psychiatry; Risk-Taking; Sex Factors; Sociology; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Violence - statistics & numerical data
• ISSN: 1573-3602; 1573-3602
• DOI: 10.1007/s10899-020-09931-8

The study systematically examined the link between history of gambling, and substance-use and violence-related measures in male and female adolescents, and compared association differences between genders in representative youth risk behavior surveillance data. An anonymous survey was administered to 2425 9th- to 12th-grade students in the state of Connecticut to assess risk behaviors that impact health. Reported past-12-months gambling was the independent variable of interest. Chi squares and adjusted odds-ratios were computed to determine gambling associations with demographic variables, substance-use, and violence-related measures, and whether associations were different between genders. Among students, 18.6% reported gambling. Reported gambling in males and females associated with lifetime use of any drugs, marijuana, cocaine, inhalants, heroin, methamphetamines, ecstasy, synthetic marijuana, non-medical pain-relievers, and injected drugs, in addition to past-30-days cigarette smoking, alcohol and heavy alcohol drinking, and marijuana use. Gambling associated with reported weapon-carrying, being threatened or injured with a weapon, forced sexual intercourse, bullying, and electronic bullying in males; physical dating violence in females; and physical fighting and sexual dating violence in both groups. Gambling and gender interaction terms did not associate with outcome measures except synthetic marijuana use, which trended towards significance ( P  = 0.052). Gambling in adolescence was similarly linked to risk behaviors involving substance-use in males and females, though gambling relationships with different violence-measures varied between genders. Assessing gambling behavior may be important for targeted preventions focused on adolescents at risk for substance-use disorder and physical violence.