Abstract
A school-based survey was conducted to examine the impact of parental gambling on adolescent gambling behavior and mental health status. A self-administered standardized questionnaire was distributed to 1,095 high school students. The response rate was 84.5%. Almost half of the participants (46.5%) reported gambling in the past year. Using the DSM-IV-MR-J (Journal of Gambling Studies 16: 253-273, 2000), 3.3% (n = 31) of the participants could be identified as at-risk gamblers, and 0.9% (n = 8) could be classified as probable pathological gamblers. Only 16.7% of the participants (n = 155) disclosed having a parent who gambled excessively but the perceived harms in the family were alarming including disrupted family relationships, family financial difficulties and diminished need fulfillment. When compared with participants without parental gambling problems, adolescents with perceived parental gambling problems had significantly higher scores on the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21) (Behavior Research and Therapy 33: 335-345, 1995). The study results have implications for preventive initiatives, intervention strategies and future research.
Highlights
With the legalization of soccer betting in 2003 and rapid expansion of casino gambling in the nearby regions (e.g. Macau, Singapore and South Korea), the opportunities for Hong Kong citizens to gamble have increased considerably in the past decade
Previous government-commissioned prevalence surveys revealed that approximately 80% of Hong Kong residents aged between 15 and 64 years participated in gambling activities in the past year (University of Hong Kong 2005; Wong and So 2003)
More studies have been conducted to examine the gambling behavior of adults and adolescents (University of Hong Kong 2005; Wong 2010; Hong Kong Polytechnic University 2010), little research has been undertaken to examine the effects of parental gambling on children and adolescents
Summary
With the legalization of soccer betting in 2003 and rapid expansion of casino gambling in the nearby regions (e.g. Macau, Singapore and South Korea), the opportunities for Hong Kong citizens to gamble have increased considerably in the past decade. Previous government-commissioned prevalence surveys revealed that approximately 80% of Hong Kong residents aged between 15 and 64 years participated in gambling activities in the past year (University of Hong Kong 2005; Wong and So 2003). More studies have been conducted to examine the gambling behavior of adults and adolescents (University of Hong Kong 2005; Wong 2010; Hong Kong Polytechnic University 2010), little research has been undertaken to examine the effects of parental gambling on children and adolescents. There are robust findings that parental involvement in gambling is associated with an increase in the prevalence of gambling-related problems in adolescence (Felsher et al 2003; McComb and Sabiston 2010; Vitaro and Wanner 2011; Wickwire et al 2007). There are robust findings that parental involvement in gambling is associated with an increase in the prevalence of gambling-related problems in adolescence (Felsher et al 2003; McComb and Sabiston 2010; Vitaro and Wanner 2011; Wickwire et al 2007). Wickwire et al (2007) found that teenagers with a parent who gambled were 2.8 times more likely to report at-risk or problem gambling
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