Gambling among adolescents and young adults associated with psychiatric problems

By John M Grohol PsyD
November 3, 2004

Adolescents and young adults who gamble are more likely than nongamblers to have substance use disorders and psychiatric problems, according to an article in the November issue of The Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

According to the article, approximately 68 percent of the U.S. adult population gambled legally in the past year. Although most adults gamble responsibly, about 9 million are classified as problem gamblers and another 3 million as pathological gamblers. Adult pathological gambling is associated with substance use problems, depression, psychiatric treatment, poor health, arrest and incarceration, the article states. Fifty percent to 90 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 years old reported gambling within the past year even though gambling is largely illegal among adolescents. The same problems associated with adult gambling are found in adolescents who gamble heavily, including substance use and depression.

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues, and the intersection of technology and psychology since 1992.