Abstract
This study compares the attitudes, knowledge, and behavior of parents of 5- to 17-year-old children regarding youth gambling. This information was obtained through two telephone surveys conducted in 1995, and 5 years later in 2000, in the Québec City area. Survey 1, in 1995, was conducted on 279 respondents, while survey 2, in 2000, was carried out with 213 respondents. Results showed a number of changes in parents' attitudes, behavior, and knowledge concerning youth gambling: For example, parents' perception of the age of onset of gambling behavior had improved slightly at the end of the 5-year period. Furthermore, parents were more satisfied with government limitation of access to gambling, and more accurately informed about legal aspects of the sale of lottery tickets. However, the percentage of parents who failed to associate youth gambling with some of its correlates (arcade attendance, parental gambling problems, and friendship with gamblers) increased from 1995 to year 2000. The improvements that were observed suggested that parents had benefited from media-transmitted information during this period. However, the deterioration of some parental attitudes, and the stability of other variables, suggest that it is still important to educate parents about youth gambling, and to design interventions adapted to parents' needs.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Browne, B. A., & Brown, D. J. (1994). Predictors of lottery gambling among American college students. Journal of Social Psychology, 134, 339–347.
Dell, L. J., Ruzicka, M. F., & Palisi, A. T. (1981). Personality and other factors associated with gambling addiction. International Journal of the Addictions, 16, 149–156.
Derevensky, J. L, Gupta, R., & Cioppa, G. D. (1996). A developmental perspective of gambling behavior in children and adolescents. Journal of Gambling Studies, 12, 49–66.
Gambino, B., Fitzgerald, R., Shaffer, H. J., Renner, J., & Courtnage, P. (1993). Perceived family history of problem gambling and scores on SOGS. Journal of Gambling Studies, 9, 169–184.
George, T. M., & Schroeder, J. A. (1996). Parental awareness of youth gambling: Results of a telephone survey of Minnesota parents. Duluth: Minnesota Council on Compulsive Gambling.
Griffiths, M. D. (1990a). The acquisition, development, and maintenance of fruit machine gambling in adolescents. Journal of Gambling Studies, 13, 179–192.
Griffiths, M. D. (1990b). Addiction to fruit machines: A preliminary study among young males. Journal of Gambling Studies, 6, 113–126.
Gupta, R., & Derevensky, J. L. (1998). Adolescent gambling behavior: A prevalence study and examination of the correlates associated with problem gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies 14, 319–345.
Jacobs, D. F. (1989). Illegal and undocumented: A review of teenage gambling and the plight of problem gamblers in America. In H. Shaffer, S. Stein, B. Gambino, & T. Cummungs (Eds.). Compulsive gambling: Theory, research and practice (pp. 249–292). Lexington: Lexington Books.
Ladouceur, R., Boudreault, N., Jacques, C., & Vitaro, F. (1999). Pathological gambling and related problem among adolescents. Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse, 8, 55–68.
Ladouceur, R., & Dubé, D. (1995). Prevalence of pathological gambling and associated problems in individuals who visit non-gambling video arcades. Journal of Gambling Studies, 11, 361–364.
Ladouceur, R., Dubé, D., & Bujold, A. (1994). Gambling among primary school students. Journal of Gambling Studies, 10, 363–370.
Ladouceur, R., Jacques, C., Ferland, F., & Giroux, I. (1998). Parents' attitudes and knowledge regarding gambling among youths. Journal of Gambling Studies, 14, 83–90.
Ladouceur, R., Jacques, C., Ferland, F., & Giroux, I. (1999). Prevalence of problem gambling: A replication study 7 years later. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 44, 802–804.
Lesieur, H. R., & Blume, S. (1987). The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS): A new instrument for the identification of pathological gamblers. American Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 1184–1188.
Lesieur, H. R., & Klein, R. (1987). Pathological gambling among high school students. Addictive Behaviors, 12, 129–135.
Livingston, J. (1974). Compulsive gamblers: Observations on action and abstinence. New York: Harper and Row.
National Research Council. (1999). Pathological gambling: A critical review. Washington: National Academy Press.
Shaffer, H. J., & Hall, M. N. (1996). Estimating the prevalence of adolescent gambling disorders: a quantitative synthesis and guide toward standard gambling nomenclatures. Journal of Gambling Studies, 12, 193–214.
Shaffer, H. J., Hall, M. N., & Vander Bilt, J. (1999). Estimating the prevalence of disordered gambling behavior in the United States and Canada: A research synthesis. American Journal of Public Health, 89(9), 1369–1376.
Siegel, S., & Castellan, N. J., Jr. (1988). Nonparametric statistics for the behavioral sciences (2nd edition). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ladouceur, R., Vitaro, F. & Côté, MA. Parents' Attitudes, Knowledge, and Behavior Toward Youth Gambling: A Five-Year Follow-up. J Gambl Stud 17, 101–116 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016616412473
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016616412473