Gambling Among Young People, 837 kB

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programmes focused on risk and protective factors on all levels According to the researchers at the International Centre for Youth Problem Gambling and High-Risk Behaviors, it should be possible to incorporate pathological gambling in existing prevention programmes for addiction and risk behaviour. Prevention programmes that have had a positive impact have been programmes that have been aimed at reducing the effect of risk factors by increasing the influence of protective factors (84, 120, 121). Programmes that are only aimed at informing or scaring by pointing at risks of gambling do not give the desired effects, according to experience gained from alcohol and drug prevention work (122). However, there is currently no research on the protective factors for pathological gambling, in other words the factors that reduce the risk of developing a gambling addiction. According to the researchers at the International Centre for Youth Problem Gambling and High-Risk Behaviors, the protective factors for pathological gambling are presumably more or less the same as those for other types of risk behaviour including alcohol or substance abuse/ addiction. These are (84): • A good problem-solving ability; the ability to have abstract thoughts and to generate solutions to cognitive and social problems. • Good social skills; flexibility, communication skills, thoughtfulness and “pro-social” behaviour. • Strong autonomy; a faith in your own ability and ability to control. • A sense of meaning and of the future, progress orientation, motivation and optimism. Thus it is conceivable that prevention measures that strengthen these factors in adolescents might slowdown the development of both problem gambling and other types of high-risk behaviour. There is currently, however, no evidence in studies that these protective factors also apply to pathological gambling. Moreover, the prevention measures should be aimed at several levels at the same time: individual, family, friends, school and spare time, the norms and service of society, legislation and restrictions. In practice, this entails measures at all prevention levels, primary, secondary and tertiary. In primary interventions you focus on delaying the gambling debut of children and try to reduce the accessibility of gambling on a general level by informing adults and influencing the norms and attitudes of society to ensure less tolerance of child gambling. In secondary intervention measures the focus is on children and adolescents who are regarded to be in a risk group as concerns the development of a gambling problem. High-risk adolescents are characterised by the fact that they fulfil one or several gambling problem criteria, without, however, showing any signs of having developed an addiction. The secondary prevention measures should be carried out by professionals, for example social workers, who are responsible for both discovering the increased risk and subsequently more advanced prevention work that may include shorter courses of treatment. Tertiary prevention means that society allocates resources for the care and treatment of the individuals who have been identified as having the problem at hand. In the gambling context this might mean that adolescents who are pathological gamblers would have access to advanced courses of treatment for themselves, and their families would have access to support and counselling (123). Summary There is only very limited research on the prevention of pathological gambling in adolescents. The only primary prevention measures that have been evaluated focused on increasing knowledge about gambling and the risks entailed for young people. The measure was successful in its aim but it is not known whether the knowledge gained remained over time as this has not been studied. Nor is there a treatment model that has been systematically evaluated for adolescents with a gambling problem/addiction. Based on the research reviewed and the models that have been presented after study visits certain conclusions with regard to treatment can be drawn. 51
52 • For adults who are pathological gamblers, cognitive behavioural therapy, sometimes combined with motivating sessions, is better than no treatment at all. • Young people, parents and other adults must be informed about the fact that young people can have gambling problems, how to recognise these problems and where the adolescents can turn to for treatment. • Motivation enhancing elements should be included that are based on the adolescent’s own desire to change. • Adolescents with gambling problems often have other problems at the same time that also need to be treated. Treatment for depression, anxiety disorders and other behavioural problems, like for instance criminal behaviour and alcohol/substance abuse should be given in parallel. Prevention measures that have been evaluated in other addiction areas, and that have proved to have a good impact, are aimed at reducing the effect of risk factors while trying to increase the influence of protective factors. At present, however, there is no research on protective factors for gambling. Finally, prevention measures for pathological gamblers should be aimed at several levels simultaneously: the primary, secondary and tertiary prevention levels. In other words delaying children’s gambling debut and reducing accessibility, focusing on groups of children and adolescents who are judged as running a greater risk for developing a gambling problem, and care and treatment for the individuals who have been identified as sufferers.
Page 1 and 2: Gambling Among Young People A Knowl
Page 3 and 4: © swedish national institute of pu
Page 5 and 6: 6. Prevention _____________________
Page 7 and 8: 6 Summary In 2001, the Swedish Nati
Page 9 and 10: 8 Background Adolescent Swedes gamb
Page 11 and 12: 10 Definitions what is meant by gam
Page 13 and 14: 12 types of games You can divide th
Page 15 and 16: 14 Introduction Most surveys on the
Page 17 and 18: 16 few possibilities of obtaining m
Page 19 and 20: 18 the possibility of winning Child
Page 22 and 23: 3. pathological gambling - the asse
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