Racial/ethnic disparities in binge eating: disorder prevalence, symptom, presentation, and help-seeking among non-Latino Whites and Asian American groups

Abstract

monitoring decreases. Despite the normative decline, drastic decreases in parental monitoring are associated with illegal substance use and delinquent behaviors. Much less is known about the relationship between parental monitoring and gambling, particularly gambling problems, which are associated with various adverse outcomes. This study explores the association between parental monitoring trajectories throughout early adolescence and levels of youth gambling behaviors, using a longitudinal sample of urban, primarily African American, youth. Methods: The longitudinal data came from a cohort followed up annually since first grade (n = 678, 53% male, 86% African American). This study focuses on the 586 participants (86% of the original cohort) who provided at least one wave of gambling data between ages 16 and 22. The South Oaks Gambling Screen and South Oaks Gambling Screen-Revised for Adolescents assessed annual gambling, gambling frequency, and gambling-related problems. Frequent gamblers were those who gambled at least once per week. Twelve items assessed gambling-related problems (e.g., hiding evidence of gambling). Gamblers who reported at least 2 gambling-related problems were classified as those meeting the diagnostic criteria for at-risk/ problem gamblers. The Parental Monitoring Subscale of the Structured Interview of Parent Management Skills and Practices-Youth Version collected data on parental monitoring (PM) from ages 11–14, as reported by the youth. General growth mixture modeling identified distinct classes of PM trajectories. Logistic models examined the associations between those trajectories and gambling behaviors. Results: Two PM trajectories were identified: 1) “Stable” class (86.4%) began with a high level of PM at age 11 and remained steady through age 14; 2) “Declining” class (13.6%) began with a significantly lower level of PM at age 11 and also experienced a significant decline through age 14. While PM class membership was not associated with any gambling, the “Declining” class was associated with approximately twice the odds of any gambling problems and at-risk/problem gambling. Conclusion: The longitudinal trajectory of parental monitoring is significantly associated with any gambling problems and meeting the diagnostic criteria for at-risk/problem gambling. This study identifies a characteristic that future gambling prevention and intervention programs can target as past parenting interventions have been able to improve parental monitoring over time.