NCJ Number
214663
Journal
Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse Volume: 15 Issue: 4 Dated: 2006 Pages: 55-74
Date Published
2006
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study examined the relationship between anxiety, social stress, substance use, and gambling behavior in a sample of high school students in the greater Montreal, Canada region.
Abstract
Results indicated that approximately 70 percent of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 years engaged in some type of gambling activity during the past year. Most participants (57 percent) reported gambling as a social activity, 9.7 percent were classified as at-risk for developing a gambling problem, and 4.5 percent were classified as probable pathological gamblers. Probable pathological gamblers were significantly more likely than their other gambling and non-gambling counterparts to report daily and weekly alcohol consumption, use of uppers, downers, hallucinatory drugs, and cigarettes. Probable pathological gamblers also reported higher levels of state anxiety, trait anxiety, and social stress compared with other gamblers and non-gamblers. Likewise, adolescents who reported the highest state and trait anxiety levels also had the most severe gambling and substance use problems. Participants included a voluntary sample of 1,044 adolescents attending 6 high schools in the greater Montreal region. Participants completed a series of measures assessing gambling activities and problems, anxiety, behavior and self-perception, and substance use. Data analysis focused on chi-square calculations and multivariate analysis of variance. Future research should employ a longitudinal design to examine the causal factors underlying the links between adolescent anxiety, social stress, substance abuse, and problematic gambling. Tables, references