The Prevalence of Problem Gambling Among U.S. Adolescents and Young Adults: Results from a National Survey

A random telephone survey was conducted with a representative sample of 2,274 U.S. residents aged 14–21. The prevalence of problem gambling, as measured by the SOGS-RA, was 2.1%. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of the respondents had gambled in the past year, and 11% had gambled more often than twice per...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of gambling studies 2008-06, Vol.24 (2), p.119-133
Main Authors: Welte, John W., Barnes, Grace M., Tidwell, Marie-Cecile O., Hoffman, Joseph H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescent Behavior - psychology
Adolescents
Adult
Age Distribution
Community and Environmental Psychology
Demography
Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders - epidemiology
Economics
Female
Gambling - psychology
Humans
Legalized gambling
Mass Screening - statistics & numerical data
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Original Paper
Parents
Pathological gambling
Personality Disorders - epidemiology
Polls & surveys
Prevalence
Psychiatry
Psychometrics - statistics & numerical data
Questionnaires
Reproducibility of Results
Sex Distribution
Socioeconomic status
Sociology
Surveys and Questionnaires
Teenagers
Telephone surveys
United States
Young adults
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Summary:A random telephone survey was conducted with a representative sample of 2,274 U.S. residents aged 14–21. The prevalence of problem gambling, as measured by the SOGS-RA, was 2.1%. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of the respondents had gambled in the past year, and 11% had gambled more often than twice per week. Males had much higher gambling involvement than females, and gambling involvement increased among older respondents. Blacks were less likely than average to have gambled in the past year, but if they gambled, they were more likely to do so frequently. Low SES respondents were less likely to have gambled in the past year, but if they gambled, they were more likely to be problem gamblers. Life transitions that are associated with assuming adult roles (employment, living independently of parents, non-student status) are also associated with greater gambling involvement. The rates of problem and pathological gambling were lower than those in an adult survey conducted earlier, when measured with the same questionnaire.
ISSN:1050-5350
1573-3602
DOI:10.1007/s10899-007-9086-0