Transmission of Problem Gambling Between Adjacent Generations

David Forrest,Ian G Mchale

doi:10.1007/s10899-020-09977-8

Abstract

We investigate the extent to which gambling problems at age 20 are linked to parental gambling behaviour during childhood, employing data from a longitudinal study (ALSPAC) which has followed parents and children from Avon, England since pregnancy. 1058 children completed a problem gambling screen at age 20. When those children had been age 6, each of their parents was asked about their own gambling. We used regression to estimate the effect of parental gambling behaviour at child age 6 on the child’s problem gambling risk at age 20. Parental gambling participation at child age 6 was not a predictor of offspring problem gambling; but problem gambling by parents was a predictor of offspring problem gambling. However, this latter result was found only cross-gender (fathers’ behaviour influencing daughters and mothers’ behaviour influencing sons). This pattern was robust to models including measures of parental education and variables capturing family attitudes to health choices and the degree of domestic harmony. The sample illustrates high problem gambling prevalence amongst young adults. Although there is transmission of ‘problem gambling’ between generations, it appears to happen only cross-gender. This limits the importance of parental problem gambling as a source of the high prevalence because relatively few mothers exhibit problem gambling and risks to daughters from fathers are in the context of initially low baseline risks. Preventative policies might therefore be more appropriately targeted at young adults rather than rely on influencing parental gambling behaviour earlier in the child’s life.

Highlights

As with many other physical and psychiatric illnesses, there may be an extent to which individuals are at greater risk of problem gambling where a parent has experienced the disorder
Effect sizes on moderate problem or problem gamblers’ (MPPG) from parental problem gambling scores were relatively high
If a mother were among the 8.1% who scored 1 point on the modified 12-item South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) screen, this was predicted to nearly double the odds of MPPG in the son relative to her being in the 89.7% of mothers who had a SOGS score of 0

Summary

Introduction

As with many other physical and psychiatric illnesses, there may be an extent to which individuals are at greater risk of problem gambling where a parent has experienced the disorder. Whatever the means of transmission, previous studies in various countries confirm that having a parent who experienced problem gambling is a risk factor for own problem gambling (Valentine 2014). They typically rely on respondents accurately reporting whether their parent was a problem gambler, raising the possibility of recall bias (Brewin et al 1993) or bias from blaming parents for one’s own problems. It is conceivable that parental problem gambling correlates with a range of family attitudes and lifestyle variables and it is these general household features rather than parental gambling behaviour itself which raise risk in the generation

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Results

Conclusion