Prevalence of Adolescent Problem Gambling: A Systematic Review of Recent Research

Abstract

Previous research has shown that gambling is a popular activity among adolescents. Following a rapid expansion of legalized gambling opportunities and the emergence of new forms of gambling, many researchers have carried out studies on adolescent gambling and problem gambling. The present paper reviews studies that have been conducted worldwide since 2000, and then presents a more detailed picture of adolescent gambling research in Europe, by providing a country-by country analysis. After an extensive search on academic databases and following an exclusion process, 44 studies were identified. The findings showed that 0.2–12.3 % of youth meet criteria for problem gambling, notwithstanding differences among assessment instruments, cut-offs, and timeframes. However, despite this variability, several demographic characteristics were associated with adolescent gambling involvement and problem gambling. It is concluded that a small but significant minority of adolescents have gambling-related problems. Such findings will hopefully encourage more research into youth gambling to further understand the determinants of this phenomenon.

Gambling Disorder Treatment Referrals Within the Irish Mental Health Service: A National Survey Using Freedom of Information Requests

“…Only one CHO and one Drug Task Force offered services to patients under the age of 18 years. It is known from previous studies that rate of at-risk and gambling disorder to be 4% and 1.2% respectively in the adolescent (aged 14-18 years) population (Gonzalez-Roz et al 2017), although a recent systematic review found a very wide range of problem gambling in adolescence ranging from 0.2% in Norway and Australia to 13% in Croatia (Calado et al 2017). There is also evidence from population surveys in the UK that 12% of adolescents (aged 11-16 years) had gambled in the week prior to taking part in a national survey (Gambling Commission 2017).…”

Apuestas deportivas online: percepción adolescente y regulación publicitaria

“…En España encontramos estudios de carácter regional que apuntan a una prevalencia adolescente al juego del 5,6%, erigiéndose como la más alta de Europa (Calado et al 2017) o de al menos de más del 2% en este grupo especialmente vulnerable (Verdura, 2014, p.10).…”

Identifying the Relationship Between Mental Health Symptoms, Problem Behaviors and Gambling Among Adolescents

“…Recent data suggests that adolescents are gambling to an increasing extent [1,2], where 36-79% of adolescents report having gambled over the past year [3][4][5]. Although adults tend to gamble more frequently than adolescents, the prevalence of problem gambling (PG) has been estimated to be two to four times higher in youth aged 12 to 17, with rates of Problem Gambling (PG) ranging from 3% to 8% [4,[6][7][8].…”