Pathways connecting socioeconomic variables, substance abuse and gambling behaviour: a cross-sectional study on a sample of Italian high-school students

Abstract

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to elucidate the pathway of associations linking gambling, alcohol intake, smoking habit, cannabis consumption between each other and with demographic and socioeconomic variables.Setting and participantsA survey was conducted in 2017 on a representative sample of 15 602 Italian 14-year-olds to 17-year-olds attending 201 secondary schools.Outcome measuresStructural Equation Models analysis was used to assess the pathway between gambling, alcohol intake, smoking, cannabis consumption, demographics and socioeconomic factors.ResultsIrrespective of socioeconomic or demographic variables, gambling is positively associated with alcohol and cannabis consumption, while cannabis consumption is predicted by smoking and by alcohol intake, smoking is predicted by alcohol intake. Adolescents with a higher weekly income are more at risk of gambling, drinking alcohol and smoking, while the degree of economic dissatisfaction was positively associated with alcohol intake, cannabis consumption and smoking. Maternal employment appeared to be positively associated with adolescents’ smoking, alcohol intake and cannabis consumption.ConclusionsThis is one of the first studies to shed light on the pathways of associations connecting various health-risk behaviours among adolescents with demographic and socioeconomic factors.

Optimizing large-scale gambling prevention with adolescents through the development and evaluation of a training course for health professionals: The case of PRIZE

“…More recent data indicate a higher prevalence of gambling, with 75% of young past-year gamblers, engaging mostly on scratch-cards (52%), bingo (38%) and sports bets (35%) [ 6 ]. Moreover, a survey carried out by the Italian Institute of Health in 2017 evidenced that 6.5% of students (14-17 years old) were at-risk or showed problems related to gambling [ 7 ].…”

Attitudes, Risk Factors, and Behaviours of Gambling among Adolescents and Young People: A Literature Review and Gap Analysis

“…Older age, lower parental education, absence of siblings, lower grades, and lower age when first gambled were all associated with risky gambling [41]. A higher family income was associated with adolescent and youth gambling [59], and childhood exposure to tobacco smoke was reported to predict an 18% increase in problem gambling by age 12 [72]. Increased accessibility to gambling venues (e.g., located close to homes) was related to increased problematic gambling among young people [10], as was the participation in more than one form of gambling [55] and the presence of cyberbullying [36].…”

“…Among problem gambling adolescents and young people, there was a high prevalence of engagement with alcohol and/or other substances. Problem and at-risk gamblers, compared to non-problem gamblers, were more likely to consume alcohol [30,59], tobacco [30,60], experience alcohol-related problems [30,[61][62][63][64], and use sedatives [63]. Both male and female adolescents who reported gambling during the previous 12 months had greater drug use and involvement with violence than non-gamblers [38].…”

Gambling Among Finnish 14–16-Year-Old Adolescents Before (2008–2009), During (2010–2011), and After (2013–2017) Setting the Legal Age Limit of 18 for Gambling and the Role of Socio-Economic Status

“…Higher SES can have divergent influences on adolescent gambling. On the one hand, the higher disposable income that is related to a higher SES might enable adolescents to gamble more (Buja et al, 2019 ; Darling et al, 2006 ). However, in this study, infrequent gambling (i.e., gambling less than once a week) was more common among adolescents with a higher SES.…”

“…Despite the age limit of 18 being common in many jurisdictions, gambling has been shown to be prevalent among adolescents under 18 years old (Blinn-Pike et al, 2010 ; Volberg et al, 2010 ). Particularly among boys and adolescents with a higher weekly income, gambling seems to be more common (Blinn-Pike et al, 2010 ; Buja et al, 2019 ; Darling et al, 2006 ).…”