Weapon-Carrying is Associated with More Permissive Gambling Attitudes and Perceptions and At-Risk/Problem Gambling in Adolescents

Zhai, Zu Wei and Hoff, Rani A. and Magruder, Caitlin F. and Steinberg, Marvin A. and Wampler, Jeremy and Krishnan-Sarin, Suchitra and Potenza, Marc N. (2019) Weapon-Carrying is Associated with More Permissive Gambling Attitudes and Perceptions and At-Risk/Problem Gambling in Adolescents. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 8 (3). pp. 508-521. ISSN 2062-5871 (print); 2063-5303 (online)

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Abstract

Background and aims: A recent call to action highlighted the need to understand the relationship between problem gambling, violence, and health/functioning. As weapon-carrying and gambling behaviors are prevalent in adolescents, this study systematically examined relationships between weapon-carrying status and measures of problem gambling severity and gambling perceptions and attitudes, as well as how weapon-carrying status moderated relationships between problem gambling severity and measures of health/functioning and gambling behavior. Methods: Participants were 2,301 Connecticut high-school adolescents. χ2 and logistic regression models were conducted. Results: Weapon-carriers reported greater problem gambling severity, more permissive gambling perceptions, greater parental approval of gambling, and more family gambling concerns, compared to non-weapon-carriers. At-risk/problem gambling was more strongly associated with family, peers, and adult gambling partners among non-weapon-carriers (vs. weapon-carriers) and with machine gambling among weapon-carriers (vs. non-weapon-carriers). Discussion and conclusions: Greater problem gambling severity and more permissive gambling perceptions and perceived parental approval of gambling in weapon-carrying adolescents suggest that parent–child relationships are important to be considered in prevention efforts. The moderated relationship by weapon-carrying status between problem gambling severity and gambling partners suggests a problem gambling risk group that may be less linked to gambling with traditional social support groups, and this group may benefit from targeted interventions.

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