Prevention of youth gambling problems: Some important considerations

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Prevention of youth gambling problems Some
important considerations

• Jeffrey L. Derevensky, Ph.D.
• Rina Gupta, Ph.D.
• Laurie Dickson, M.A.
• Anne-Elyse Deguire, M.Sc.
• International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems
  and High-Risk Behaviors
• McGill University
• www.youthgambling.com
• Annual Research Synthesis Conference on
  Pathological Gambling

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Involvement in addictive behaviors

• Total use Weekly use
• Gr 7 Gr 9 Gr 11 Gr 7 Gr 9 Gr 11
• Alcohol 36.8 62.2 79.8 7.4 14.0 20.2
• Drugs 3.5 13.4 26.5 2.7 2.1 9.0
• Cigarettes 18.2 34.5 48.4 7.0 16.1 31.4
• Gambling 79.1 78.9 83.4 30.4 37.4 37.1
• 
  (Gupta Derevensky, 1998a)

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Nomenclature Hodge-Podge (Winters, 2001)
Problem Severity Continuum
Compulsive gambling
At-Risk gambling
Problem gambling
Social gambling
No gambling
Pathological gambling
Habitual gambling
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Is Youth Problem Gambling A Primary Disorder?
Alcohol Dependence
ADHD
Conduct Disorder
Problem Gambling
Other Disorder
Depression
Drug Dependence
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Our current state of knowledge
concerning youth gambling problems.

• Gambling is more popular amongst males than
  females (Derevensky, Gupta Della Cioppa, 1996
  Fisher, 1990 Govoni, Rupcich, Frisch, 1996
  Griffiths, 1989 Gupta Derevensky, 1998a
  Jacobs, 2000 Ladouceur et al., 1994 NORC, 1999
  NRC, 1999 Stinchfield, Cassuto, Winters,
  Latimer, 1997 Volberg, 1994, 1996, 1998 Wynne
  et al., 1996)
• Probable pathological gamblers are greater
  risk-takers (Arnett 1994 Breen Zuckerman,
  1996 Derevensky Gupta, 1996 Nower, Derevensky
  Gupta, 2000 Powell, Hardoon, Derevensky,
  Gupta 1999 Zuckerman, 1979, 1994 Zuckerman,
  Eysenck, Eysenck, 1978)
• Adolescent prevalence rates of problem gamblers
  are 2-4 times that of adults (Gupta Derevensky,
  1998a Jacobs, 2000 Shaffer Hall, 1996)

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• Adolescent pathological gamblers have lower self
  esteem compared with other adolescents (Gupta
  Derevensky, 1998b)
• Adolescent problem gamblers have higher rates of
  depression (Gupta Derevensky, 1998a,1998b
  Marget, Gupta Derevensky, 1999 Nower,
  Derevensky Gupta, 2000)
• Adolescent problem gamblers dissociate more
  frequently when gambling (Gupta Derevensky,
  1998b Jacobs, Marsten Singer, 1985)
• Adolescents with gambling problems, ages 14-17,
  are at heightened risk for suicide ideation and
  suicide attempts (Gupta Derevensky, 1998a)

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• While adolescents with gambling problems report
  having a support group, old friends are often
  replaced by gambling associates (Derevensky,
  1999 Gupta, 1999 Gupta Derevensky, 2000)
• Adolescent problem gamblers remain at increased
  risk for the development of an addiction or
  polyaddictions (Gupta Derevensky,1998a,1998b
  Kusyszyn, 1972 Lesieur Klein, 1987 Nower,
  Derevensky Gupta, 2000 Winters Anderson,
  2000)
• Adolescent problem gamblers score higher on
  excitability, extroversion, and anxiety lower
  on conformity and self-discipline (Gupta
  Derevensky, 1997b,1998a Vitaro, Ferland, Jacques
  Ladouceur, 1998)

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• Adolescents with gambling problems have poor
  general coping skills (Gupta, 1999 Kaufman,
  Derevensky Gupta, 2002 Marget, Gupta,
  Derevensky, 1999 Nower, Gupta Derevensky,
  2000)
• Adolescent problem gamblers report beginning
  gambling at earlier ages, approximately 10 years
  of age (Gupta Derevensky,1997a,1998a Wynne et
  al., 1996)
• Rapid movement from social gambler to problem
  gambler (Derevensky, 1999 Derevensky Gupta,
  1996, 1999 Gupta Derevensky, 1998a)

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• Pathological gamblers and youth in general report
  early gambling in the home and with family
  members (Derevensky Gupta, 1997 Gupta
  Derevensky, 1997a, 1997b)
• Problem and pathological gambling has been shown
  to result in increased delinquency and crime,
  disruption of familial relationships and
  decreased academic performance (Gupta
  Derevensky, 1998a Ladouceur Mireault, 1988
  Lesieur Klein, 1987 Wynne et al., 1996)

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• Pathological gamblers report greater major and
  minor life stressors (Gupta Derevensky, 2002
  Kaufman, Gupta Derevensky, 2002)
• Problem and pathological gambling has been shown
  to have greater levels of trait and state anxiety
  (Ste-Marie, Gupta Derevensky, 2002)

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Profile of the adolescent problem gambler

• Predominantly male
• Significant anxiety
• Familial problems
• Poor peer relationships
• Preoccupation with gambling- reported inability
  to stop despite repeated efforts
• VLT, sports betting, lottery scratch tickets,
  cards
• Serious financial difficulties
• Failure in school and/or at work
• Lying to family and friends

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Profile - continued

• Friends usually have similar gambling problems
• Stealing from family, friends, stores, bank
  fraud, etc.
• Depression or feeling dead inside
• Gambling to escape and to feel better
• General lack of coping abilities
• Confused and conflicted about whether they really
  want to stop gambling
• Need for arousal or strong sensations

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Lessons learned from research on youth substance
abuse
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Risk Factors for Adolescent Substance Abuse

• Laws Norms
• Taxation
• Laws regulating to whom liquor is sold
• Laws regulating how liquor is sold
• Criminal laws making drugs illegal
• Cultural norms

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• Availability accessibility
• Extreme economic deprivation
• Neighborhood disorganization
• Physiological factors
• Biochemical
• Genetic factors
• Personality factors including sensation seeking
• Familial alcohol and drug behavior

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• Family management practices
• Family conflict
• Limited problem solving and coping skills
• Poor bonding between parent and child
• Early and persistent problem behaviors
• Academic failure
• School failure
• Intelligence
• Low commitment to school

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• Peer rejection during elementary school
• Association with drug using peers
• Alienation and rebelliousness
• Attitudes favorable to drug use
• Early onset of drug use

Adapted from Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R.,
Miller, J. (1992). Risk and protective factors
for alcohol and other drug problems in
adolescence and early adulthood implications for
substance abuse prevention. Psychological
Bulletin, 112, 64-105 and Windle, M.,
Thatcher-Shope, J., Bukstein, O. Alcohol use.
In R. DiClemente, W. Hansen, L. Ponton (Eds.)
(1996). Handbook of adolescent health risk
behavior. New York Plenum.
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Adapted from Understanding Substance Abuse
Prevention Toward 21st Century Primer on
Effective Programs (P. Brounstein J. Zweig,
1999). Centre for Substance Abuse Prevention
(CSAP) Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA)(Dickson,
Derevensky Gupta, 2002)
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Prevention
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Prevention can occur on three levels

• Primary prevention - targeting intervention to
  those who have not experienced a gambling
  problem.
• Secondary prevention - targeting those
  individuals demonstrating at-risk behaviors,
  inappropriate attitudes, and erroneous cognitions
  with respect to gambling.
• Tertiary prevention - treatment of those
  individuals currently experiencing a serious
  gambling problem.

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Prevention

• Focused around two concepts
• risk protection and their interaction (Centre
  for Substance Abuse Prevention, 1999)
• Protective factors balance and buffer risk and
  ultimately lessen the likelihood of engaging in
  risk-taking behaviors or buffer exposure to
  problems (Hawkins, Catalano, Miller, 1992)
• Shift in focused prevention to focus on
  resiliency (Garmezy Streitman, 1974 Garmezy
  Masten, 1986 Luthar, 1992 Jessor, 1998 Rutter,
  1979 Werner, 1986)
• Education (Derevensky Gupta, 1998a, 1999 Gupta
  Derevensky, 1999, 2000)

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Gambling Prevention

• Prevention through risk-reduction
• individual
• family
• peer and social contexts
• community context
• Risk-reduction by enhancing protective factors
• attributes of the individual
• family support
• environmental support
• Using schools as a basis for prevention through
  promotion of social/personal competence
  (Haggerty, Sherrod, Garmezy, Rutter, 1994

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A new conceptual model for the prevention of
youth gambling problems.
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Red factors specific to gambling
Purple shared risk factors
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Prevention Issues

• Abstinence
• Harm reduction/minimization

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• Using schools as a basis for prevention through
  promotion of social/personal competence
  (Haggerty, Sherrod, Garmezy, Rutter, 1994)
• at-risk vs. general population
• target appropriate age groups with
  developmentally appropriate interventions
• focus not merely on gambling but on social
  skills, coping abilities, problem solving skills

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• Responsible prevention efforts include...
• Incorporating knowledge acquired from scientific
  research
• Taking a wide-angled approach (multi-faceted)
• Adjusting the material to the developmental level
  of the recipient
• Testing for program effectiveness PRIOR to
  widespread implementation
• Conducting focus groups with teachers and
  children for input on program development and to
  evaluate teacher willingness to implement the
  prevention format

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Goals of prevention

• Improve knowledge
• Increase awareness
• Change inappropriate attitudes and/or encourage
  positive attitudes
• Correct false cognitions, understandings,
  erroneous beliefs (odds, skill vs. luck,
  strategies, superstitions)
• Behavior - prevent occurrence of excessive
  gambling - decrease/reduce excessive
  gambling patterns of behavior

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• Increase problem-solving skills
• Increase feelings of self-confidence
• Improve coping skills
• Teach individuals to make good decisions for
  themselves in the face of peer pressure and
  social temptations
• Note Each level of prevention should be
  developmentally appropriate.

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• Key Elements
• Enhanced problem solving and thinking skills
  leads to more effective coping strategies
• Strategies to successfully resolve stressful life
  events
• social skills
• communication skills
• decision-making skills
• low sensation-seeking behaviors
• feelings of success, self-worth and mastery
• Building of strong external resources
• family
• peers
• school
• community

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Current Prevention Efforts
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In development
CD Rom
Elementary and High School Curriculum
Video tape
Teacher manuals
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Other types of prevention

• Booths
• Presentations
• Workshops
• Responsible advertisements/ media messages
• Brochures, posters
• Public policy advocacy

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Additional Considerations

• Public awareness, advertising, government
  responsibility, social policy

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Government and Industry Role

• As state lotteries take on the social
  responsibility to help people who may have a
  problem with the product we offer, the lottery
  industry, as a whole benefits
  
  Gerald Aubin, Executive Director, Rhode Island
  Lottery
• Lotteries should continue programs that
  discourage and
  prevent play by minors
  NASPL policy statement in response to the
  NGISC report

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The need for responsible advertising

• Children are strongly influenced by
  advertisements. The industry needs to be
  responsible and not glamorize gambling
• Just as there are advocates for responsible
  advertisement of alcohol and tobacco, we need
  monitoring of gambling advertisements

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• Enforcement of laws
• Penalties and serious fines for those who allow
  youth to have access to legalized gambling
  activities

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Positive initiatives

• Support for public service announcements
• Support for anti-youth gambling advertisements
  and programs
• Education
• Sales force
• Public
• Development and enforcement of regulations and
  statutes
• Strict penalties for non-compliance
• Provide support for telephone hot lines and print
  numbers on back of lottery tickets

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• Establishment and funding of internal departments
  dedicated toward promoting responsible gaming and
  helping gaming problems
• Specific programs designed for youth gambling
• Notices on retailer employee bulletin boards
• Statements on play slips and lottery tickets
• Visible signs on lottery booths and ticket
  machines
• Developing and providing appropriate materials to
  schools

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Gambling the silent addiction.
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Understanding Through
Knowledge
International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems
and High-Risk Behaviors Centre international
détude sur le jeu et les compertements à risque
chez les jeunes www.youthgambling.com