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Background and aimsBehavioral addictions such as gambling and gaming disorder are significant public health issues that are of increasing importance to policy makers and health care providers. Problem gambling and gaming behaviors have been identified as being associated with externalizing and internalizing problems, with theoretical models suggesting that both conduct problems and depressive symptoms may be significant risk factors in the development of problem gambling and gaming. As such, the purpose of this systematic review is to provide an overview of research identifying the relationship between conduct problems, depressive symptoms and problem gambling and gaming among adolescents and young adults.MethodsSystematic literature searches in accordance with PRISMA guidelines found 71 eligible studies that met the inclusion criteria, 47 for problem gambling, 23 for problem gaming and one for both problem behaviors.ResultsBased on cross-sectional evidence, both problem gambling and gaming are consistently concurrently associated with conduct problems and depressive symptoms. Longitudinal evidence appears to be clearer for conduct problems as a risk factor for problem gambling, and depressive symptoms as a risk factor for problem gaming. However, both risk factors appear to increase the risk for these problem behaviors.Discussion and ConclusionsResults from the literature review suggest that problem gambling and gaming are associated with the presence of conduct problems and depressive symptoms, with the potential of sharing common etiological factors. Additional research is necessary to confirm these longitudinal relationships with an emphasis on investigating the interaction of both early conduct problems and depressive symptoms.

The Dual Failure Model suggests that peer victimization (social failure) and academic difficulties (academic failure) mediate the association between externalizing and later internalizing problems. The present study sought to better understand why children with externalizing problems develop later internalizing problems by testing the Dual Failure Model using a sample of 744 children (aged 6 to 10 at Time 1 [T1]), of whom 434 (44.7% girls) presented with high levels of conduct problems at study inception. Both parent and teacher ratings of externalizing and internalizing problems support the social failure pathway, but not the academic failure pathway. Children with externalizing behaviors at T1 who developed internalizing problems 2 years later did so via their experiences of peer victimization. These results apply for both boys and girls and do not vary according to child age at T1 or the level of conduct problems at study inception. These findings underscore the importance of early screening and intervention for externalizing behavioral problems in order to reduce subsequent peer victimization and internalizing problems. Findings regarding the consequences of internalizing are also discussed.

The questionnaire and methodology for this study was approved by the Education and social sciences research ethical committee of the University of Sherbrooke.Consent to participate: Written informed consent was obtained from the parents of the participants included in the study.

Les comportements d’agression peuvent entraîner de graves difficultés d’adaptation, dont un risque accru de s’engager dans des comportements de prise de risque à l’adolescence. Dans un échantillon composé exclusivement de filles, la présente étude vise à examiner si l’agression indirecte évaluée par les pairs à la fin de l’école primaire peut prédire le développement de divers comportements de prise de risque autorapportés au secondaire (comportements délinquants, consommation de psychotropes et activité sexuelle à risque). L’échantillon comporte 250 filles suivies à quatre temps de mesure, de la fin du primaire (5e-6e année; T1) jusqu’en secondaire III-IV (T4). Après avoir contrôlé statistiquement l’agression directe, les résultats montrent que plus une jeune fille utilise l’agression indirecte à la fin du primaire, plus celle-ci adopterait des comportements délinquants, consommerait des psychotropes et aurait des activités sexuelles à risque durant ses années de secondaire. Ces résultats justifient des interventions psychosociales auprès des jeunes filles utilisant l’agression indirecte avant la transition au secondaire afin de prévenir l’adoption de comportements de prise de risque chez ces dernières.