GAMBLING AND OTHER RISK BEHAVIORS AMONG 8TH-GRADE TO 12TH-GRADE STUDENTS

Objective. To examine the associations between a self-reported history of gambling or problems related to gambling and health risk behaviors in adolescence.Design. An anonymous risk behavior survey was administ ered to 21 297 8th- through 12th-grade students in 79 public and priva te schools in Vermont. Gambling or problems related to gambling were t he outcome variables of interest. Demographic variables and 13 target risk behaviors related to substance use, sexual activity, and violence were tested for association with gambling and problems related to gam bling. Results. Of the students, 53% reported gambling in the past 12 months, and 7% reported problems attributable to gambling. Male gender , any use of alcohol, infrequent use of cigarette smoking, any marijua na use, any inhalant use, infrequent steroid use, frequent illegal dru g use, seatbelt nonuse, driving after drinking alcohol, being threaten ed, carrying a weapon, being involved in a fight, and years of sexual activity were all significantly associated with reported gambling in t he past 12 months. Among the students who gambled, younger age, male g ender, daily marijuana use, frequent use of cocaine, frequent use of i nhalants, any steroid use, never wearing seatbelts, carrying a weapon for up to 3 days a month, fighting, and years of sexual activity were all significantly associated with reported problems with family and fr iends as a consequence of gambling. There was an increase in the absol ute number of risk behaviors reported between those who had not gamble d, those who had gambled, and those for whom gambling had created prob lems. Conclusions. Risk behaviors are associated with gambling in adol escence. The typology of risk behaviors was different for adolescents who reported gambling compared with those for whom gambling had create d problems. Both gambling and problems related to gambling were signif icantly associated with the absolute number of risk behaviors reported by adolescents in a graded manner. Involvement in gambling should be assessed as part of the health encounter. Assessment may provide a non threatening entry into the evaluation of other risk behaviors. Further more, it may identify youth who are at risk of developing additional r isk behaviors or pathological gambling. Interventions then could be ta rgeted toward prevention of these undesirable outcomes.