TY - JOUR
T1 - Gambling and Adverse Life Events Among Urban Adolescents
AU - Storr, Carla L.
AU - Lee, Grace P.
AU - Derevensky, Jeffrey L.
AU - Ialongo, Nicholas S.
AU - Martins, Silvia
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments This study was funded by a research grant from the National Institute of Child and Human Development, National Institutes of Health (NICHD-NIH, HD060072-P.I. Dr. Martins). The JHU PIRC Second-Generation Intervention Trial was funded by National Institute on Drug Abuse grant DA11796 (P.I. Dr. Ialongo).
PY - 2012/6
Y1 - 2012/6
N2 - This study explored the cross sectional association between adverse life events and gambling in a sample of 515 urban adolescents (average age 17, 55% male, 88% African American). Approximately half of the sample had gambled in the past year (51%); 78% of the gamblers gambled monthly and 39% had a gambling-related problem. On the other hand, 88% of the sample had experienced at least one life event in the past year, and those experiencing events tended to live in more disadvantaged neighborhoods. The mere acknowledgement of experiencing a stressful life event in the past year (yes/no) was not associated with an increase in odds of being a gambler, with gambling more frequently, or with having a gambling problem. However, when the context of the event was considered, an association was found between directly experiencing threatening and deviant/violent types of events and frequent gambling (OR > 2). Additionally, the probability of being a gambler increased as the number of events experienced increased (aOR = 1. 07, 95% CI = 1. 01, 1. 13, P = 0. 013), but problems among gamblers were not associated with the number of events experienced (aOR = 1. 01, 95% CI = 0. 92, 1. 11, P = 0. 876). During adolescence, life events appear to be connected more with the frequency of gambling rather than with problems related to gambling.
AB - This study explored the cross sectional association between adverse life events and gambling in a sample of 515 urban adolescents (average age 17, 55% male, 88% African American). Approximately half of the sample had gambled in the past year (51%); 78% of the gamblers gambled monthly and 39% had a gambling-related problem. On the other hand, 88% of the sample had experienced at least one life event in the past year, and those experiencing events tended to live in more disadvantaged neighborhoods. The mere acknowledgement of experiencing a stressful life event in the past year (yes/no) was not associated with an increase in odds of being a gambler, with gambling more frequently, or with having a gambling problem. However, when the context of the event was considered, an association was found between directly experiencing threatening and deviant/violent types of events and frequent gambling (OR > 2). Additionally, the probability of being a gambler increased as the number of events experienced increased (aOR = 1. 07, 95% CI = 1. 01, 1. 13, P = 0. 013), but problems among gamblers were not associated with the number of events experienced (aOR = 1. 01, 95% CI = 0. 92, 1. 11, P = 0. 876). During adolescence, life events appear to be connected more with the frequency of gambling rather than with problems related to gambling.
KW - Adolescence
KW - Gambling
KW - Life events
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U2 - 10.1007/s10899-011-9254-0
DO - 10.1007/s10899-011-9254-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 21614529
AN - SCOPUS:84860447698
SN - 1050-5350
VL - 28
SP - 325
EP - 336
JO - Journal of Gambling Studies
JF - Journal of Gambling Studies
IS - 2
ER -