Laurie Dickson

The Prevention of Gambling Problems in Youth: A Conceptual Framework

Despite increased awareness of the need to begin educating young children about the potential dangers of gambling, empirical knowledge of the prevention of adolescent problem gambling and its translation into science-based prevention initiatives is scarce. This paper poses the question of whether or not the common elements of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug abuse prevention programs can be applied to gambling prevention. Common risk and protective factors across addictions, including gambling, appear to point to the need to develop a general model of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. The authors present the need for science-based prevention initiatives and describe a general adolescent risk-taking model as a basis for science-based prevention of adolescent problem gambling and other risk behaviors.

Youth Gambling Problems: Examining Risk and Protective Factors

This study examined the relationship between several pre-examined risk factors for youth problem gambling, a number of potential protective factors for youth problem gambling, and the development of adolescent problem gambling. The sample consisted of 2179 students, ages 11–19. The results of analyses of variance revealed that lower family and school connectedness are associated with adolescent problem gambling. Further, an examination of the effect of potential protective factors on a set of risk factors predictive of adolescent problem gambling suggests that lack of family cohesion plays a role in predicting at-risk and problem gamblers. The results are framed in terms of a general model of risky behaviour and implications for prevention are outlined.

Harm Reduction for the Prevention of Youth Gambling Problems Lessons Learned from Adolescent High-Risk Behavior Prevention Programs

Despite the growing popularity of the harm reduction approach in the field of adolescent alcohol and substance abuse, a harm reduction approach to prevention and treatment of youth problem gambling remains largely unexplored. This article poses the question of whether the harm reduction paradigm is a promising approach to the prevention of adolescent problem gambling and other risky behaviors. The authors use a universal, selective, and indicative prevention framework to present current prevention initiatives that have emerged from the harm reduction health paradigm for adolescent substance and alcohol abuse. The risk-protective factor model is used as a conceptual basis for designing youth problem gambling harm reduction prevention programs. This framework illustrates the developmental appropriateness of the harm reduction approach for youth. Implications drawn from this conceptual examination of harm reduction as a prevention approach to adolescent problem gambling provide valuable information for treatment providers as well.

Adolescent Gambling and Coping within a Generalized High-risk Behavior Framework

Data were collected for 1998 middle/high-school students in Ontario to assess involvement in gambling, substance use, and generalized risky behavior. To predict these outcomes, measures for anxiety, family cohesion, and coping style were also administered. Three a-priori models were posited to account for the impact of risk factors, protective factors, and combined risk/protective factors on the development of risky behaviors. A high-risk cohort composed of subjects endorsing at least one risky behavior (gambling, substance use, or generalized risky behavior) within the clinical range was created to test an unobserved outcome variable created from all three measures of risky behavior, which was successfully predicted by two of the three a-priori models. Implications for the inclusion of gambling within a constellation of high-risk behaviors and recommendations for future prevention efforts are discussed.

Youth gambling problems: A harm reduction prevention model

Despite the growing popularity of the harm reduction/harm minimization approach for adolescent alcohol and substance abuse, a harm reduction approach for the prevention of youth gambling problems has only recently been explored. A universal, selective, and indicative prevention framework used in harm reduction health paradigms for adolescent substance and alcohol abuse is applied to youth gambling problems. A risk-protective factor model is used as a conceptual basis for designing a harm reduction prevention program. This framework points to the developmental appropriateness of the harm reduction approach for youth with gambling problems.

The application of youth substance use media campaigns to problem gambling : A critical evaluation

ABSTRACT Despite the negative impact that problem gambling poses on individuals and society there have been few gambling prevention campaigns specifically targeting youth. The authors review the literature on past and current drug, alcohol, and tobacco use prevention media campaigns, examining the similarities across 25 health communication programs with the aim of viewing their applicability for the prevention of youth problem gambling. Critical features of effective campaigns are identified and assessed in terms of their applicability for youth problem gambling. Recommendations for the design, implementation, and evaluation of a youth gambling media campaign are discussed.

Equipping School Psychologists to Address Another Risky Behavior The Case for Understanding Youth Problem Gambling

School psychologists are assuming an increasingly important role in ensuring youth have the mental and emotional health to succeed academically. Although considerable attention has been paid to a number of adolescent high-risk behaviors including drug and alcohol use, cigarette smoking, and sexually transmitted diseases, little attention has been paid to youth gambling behaviors. Youth problem gambling has been largely overlooked as a mental and public health issue although it can result in serious mental heath consequences and impede students’ academic success. The current state of knowledge regarding adolescent gambling is presented. Prevention and intervention initiatives that are accessible to school psychologists are outlined, and the challenges to school psychologists in implementing youth problem gambling prevention programs are discussed.

Prevenzione e trattamento del gioco d’azzardo problematico e patologico negli adolescenti

Gli ultimi 10 anni hanno testimoniato un rinnovato interesse per gli aspetti negativi del gioco d’azzardo. Commissioni nazionali in Australia, Nuova Zelanda, Regno Unito e Stati Uniti hanno iniziato a esaminare i benefici economici e i costi sociali dell’espansione del gioco d’azzardo. Contemporaneamente, i ricercatori hanno intrapreso un processo di valutazione delle conseguenze negative del gioco d’azzardo problematico e patologico per le popolazioni ad alto rischio. Nonostante queste problematiche siano state viste come di pertinenza dell’eta adulta, prove recenti indicano che il gioco d’azzardo e un’attivita popolare tra i giovani. E stato stimato che tra il 4 e l’8% degli adolescenti ha, attualmente, un problema grave legato al gioco d’azzardo e che un altro 10–14% rimane a rischio di sviluppo di un disturbo grave legato al gioco d’azzardo (Jacobs 2000; National Research Council 1999; Shaffer e Hall 1996) (Capitolo 5, “Adolescenti e giovani adulti”).