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Despite many studies indicating an association between problem gambling and delinquent behaviours among adolescents, there has been no effort to systematically analyze the state of the literature on this relationship. To fill this gap, we conducted a scoping review of the literature published between 2000 and 2016 on problem gambling and delinquent behaviours among adolescents. We searched twelve databases and reviewed reference lists to identify eligible studies. Search terms included a combination of medical subject headings and keywords for gambling, youth, and delinquency, which were combined with the Boolean operator “AND”. 1795 studies were identified through the literature search. Nine studies were eligible for inclusion. All of the studies were conducted in North America, with primarily male participants, and most of the data were cross-sectional. No qualitative studies met the inclusion criteria. Screening tools used to measure problem gambling were inconsistent, making comparisons across studies difficult. We found a consistent moderate to strong association between problem gambling and delinquent behaviour. Only one study presented associations by socio-economic status and none considered gender, sex or ethnic differences. Studies in the review showed that problem gambling is associated with both violent and non-violent behaviours among adolescents. These associations may suggest that problem gambling and delinquent behaviours have common risk factors and reflect a syndrome of risky behaviours best targeted through prevention and treatment that is holistic and considers the context in which the youth is situated. Further research is warranted to better understand the relationship between problem gambling and delinquent behaviours.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s10899-018-9754-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Parents have mixed expectations regarding disclosure. Although survey studies indicate a stronger desire for disclosure of nonharmful events than for adult patients, this qualitative study revealed a greater degree of hesitation and complexity. Parents have a great need for reassurance and consistently wish to act as a buffer between the health care team and their children.

People experiencing poverty/homelessness have higher rates of problematic gambling than the general population. Yet, research on gambling among this population is sparse, notably among women. This study examined prevalence of problematic gambling among women using shelter and drop-in services in Ontario, Canada. The NORC Diagnostic Screen for Disorders was administered to women during visits to 15 sites using time/location methodology. Within a sample of 162 women, the prevalence of at-risk (6.2%), problem (9.3%), and pathological gambling (19.1%) was higher than the general population. Among women who scored at-risk or higher, 55.4% met criteria for pathological gambling. The findings suggest that women seeking shelter and drop-in services are vulnerable to problematic gambling. Creating awareness of this vulnerability within the shelter and drop-in service sector is an important first step to support women with gambling problems who face financial and housing precarity.

Cognitive distortions are said to play a key role in the development and maintenance of problem gambling, as well as in its treatment. Toneatto’s (1999, 2002) typology of gambling distortions provides a useful conceptualization of gambling-related cognitions, although game-type specification is absent from his analysis. Toneatto’s categorization was used in the present study to organize the beliefs of 43 slot machine gamblers experiencing either moderate-risk or problem gambling, recruited and interviewed in Toronto, Canada. The typology captured many of the gambling-related cognitions, although specific beliefs held by this sample of slot machine gamblers required revision of the original typology. This study provides unique insight into the cognitive structure of these beliefs, as described by gamblers, and their frequency count, suggesting that game type is an important factor when identifying and describing gambling-specific cognitive distortions. Les distorsions cognitives joueraient un rôle dans l’apparition et le maintien des problèmes de jeu, ainsi que dans leur traitement (Cunningham, Hodgins et Toneatto, 2014; Cunningham, Hodgins, Toneatto et Murphy, 2012; Fortune et Goodie, 2012). La typologie des distorsions cognitives liées au jeu de Toneatto (1999, 2002) est à ce titre un outil utile pour conceptualiser les processus cognitifs des joueurs, bien que l’analyse ne précise pas les types de jeux de hasard en cause (Milosevic et Ledgerwood, 2010). Le présent article cherche à organiser à l’aide des catégories de Toneatto (1999, 2002) les croyances de 43 utilisateurs d’appareils à sous présentant un risque moyen ou problématique, recrutés et interviewés à Toronto (Canada). En conclusion, cette typologie permet de rendre compte de nombreux processus cognitifs liés au jeu, bien que certaines des croyances propres à cet échantillon de joueurs utilisant des appareils à sous aient nécessité une révision des catégories initiales. Fournissant un aperçu unique de la structure cognitive associée à ces croyances, telles qu’elles ont été décrites par les joueurs et selon leur nombre d’occurrences, cette étude donne à penser que le type de jeu de hasard en cause constitue un facteur important pour cerner et décrire les distorsions cognitives rattachées au jeu.