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Youth Gambling Behavior: Novel Approaches to Prevention and Intervention

  • Adolescent Substance Abuse (T Chung, Section Editor)
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Abstract

While gambling has been traditionally viewed as an adult activity there has been a growing body of research suggesting its popularity amongst adolescents. Despite findings that suggest that most youth gamble in a relatively responsible manner and have few negative gambling-related behaviors there is strong evidence that they constitute a vulnerable group for gambling disorders. The current paper addresses our current knowledge concerning the prevention of youth gambling problems and provides new potential strategies for helping young individuals experiencing a gambling disorder. While the research lacks strong evidence for best practices, a number of novel approaches to the prevention and treatment of gambling disorders for youth are discussed.

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Notes

  1. The terminology used to describe gambling problems has changed over time. The current DSM-5 term is “gambling disorder” (see American Psychiatric Association, 2013 for a detailed description). For the purposes of clarity and consistency, the term “disordered gambling” (DG) will be used to refer to all of these behaviors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors, McGill University, 3724 McTavish Street, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 1Y2, Canada

    Renee St-Pierre & Jeffrey L. Derevensky

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  1. Renee St-Pierre
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  2. Jeffrey L. Derevensky
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Correspondence to Jeffrey L. Derevensky.

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Renee St-Pierre and Jeffrey L. Derevensky declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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St-Pierre, R., Derevensky, J.L. Youth Gambling Behavior: Novel Approaches to Prevention and Intervention. Curr Addict Rep 3, 157–165 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-016-0104-0

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