Gambling among Adolescents in North America Essay

Lottery, card games, sports betting and money w climb onrs. These argon a few kinds of swordplay that adults engage in however, the youth of straight off atomic number 18 too found to be childs play more than adults (Der notwithstandingsky & Gupta, 2002 Huang & Boyer, 2007). According to Derevensky & Gupta (2002), there is an alarmingly high percentage of children and adolescents engaged in dramatic play activities.In a long-term analysis between 1984 to 1999, it was found that the prevalence of youth dramatic play in North America incr backupd from 45% to 66% and that the affinity of the youth who arouse skillful period of play- colligate problems have increased as well from 10% to 15% in the same time period (Huang & Boyer, 2007). In the past times 25 years in the united States and Canada, it has been found that the youth is satisfyingly associated with gambling-related problems the percentage of youth classified under the Sub-clinical or problem gambling (Level 2) and the morbid gambling (Level 3) were at 14. 6% and 4. 8% respectively in 2006, which is more than twice of the adults who only have a percentage of 2. 5% and 1. 5% to each one (ibid).Among the youth, it has also been found that more young men gamble more than women and they are also identified to be problem risk takers than young women and even among adults (Huang & Boyer, 2007). In North America today, approximately 80% of adolescents have participated in some form of gambling for money within in their lifetime (Felsher, Derevensky & Gupta, 2003 Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). This is an alarming rate.The scrap of youth who are engaged in adolescent gambling is higher today more than ever before and it is starting to become a serious public health issue that many nations, peculiarly the United States and Canada, are trying to address (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). Considerable research by psychologist and sociologists are being conducted regarding this problem. This wallpape r will identify the causes of adolescent gambling, its consequences and what psychologists and the government are doing to treat this issue. Causes of Adolescent playThe availableness and accessibility of gambling increased progressively in the United States and Canada from 1984-1999, which was also the time that an increase in youth gambling also occurred (Derevensky & Gupta, 2002). This increase in youth gambling has been attri only whened to the support of the two governments in the paying(a) gambling industry. Political economy theories of Sauer maintain that this is due to the need for revenue generation of the large governments (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). The youth have become exposed to numerous gambling establishments, directly and indirectly (Felsher et al, 2003).The widespread legalization of the different kinds of gambling in North America has greatly exposed the youth to the addictive game (ibid Huang & Boyer, 2007). sport has already become a well-established rec reational form of entertainment (Felsher et al, 2003) and there is already an estimated 15. 3million adolescents in North America who have engaged in gambling activities and 2. 2 million of these are problem or pathological gamblers (Huang & Boyer, 2007). Among 12-17 year old Americans, 4%8% of them are already pathological gamblers and anformer(a) 10%15% of the youth are at risk of developing a serious problem (Felsher et al., 2003 Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). Adolescents gamble because they are tempted by the lure of excitement, entertainment, and potential fiscal gain associated with gambling (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). Increased exposure to gambling will teach the kids to gamble, and the social learning guess of Albert Bandura points out the role of observation and imitation in the acquisition and maintenance of socially desirable and undesirable characteristics (Felsher et al., 2003). The increased exposure they have in gambling influences them to do the same. Family a nd friends are the primary reference groups, but it is the parents who have a stronger influence since they occur earlier than the peer group (ibid). The parents are observed to be having fun and adolescents surveyed said they gamble because their parents play for pastime and excitement, and it is the parents who play their children and engage them in gambling (ibid).In the social learning theory, there are six mechanisms identified that is involved in the development of gambling and these are 1) bear uponive states much(prenominal) as anxiety or depression 2) cognitive distortions approximately gambling 3) sortal reinforcement schedules 4) social and institutional determinants much(prenominal) as opportunity to gamble 5) sub-cultural conditions like prevailing attitude towards gambling and values of the adolescents social context and reference groups (as seen in the forgo paragraph) and 6) internal fantasy relationships with personifications like the parents or lady luck (Up fold, 2007).Lottery is the most favored form of gambling by adolescents because of its ease of accessibility and the borderline amount of money required to participate in the draw (Felsher et al. , 2003). Parents purchase the draught tickets and they include their children in their gambling act by asking for their advice, such as what number/s they should pick, let them carry the money, fill in the drawing stubs, scratching the numbers, etc. (ibid). This observation and direct participation of gambling from significant reference groups, such as the parents, influences the youths participation in gambling activities (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005).The parental acceptance of gambling as a recreational activity further encourages the youth to partake in it (Felsher et al. , 2003). Adolescents who gamble say that they have learned it from their parents. 15% of children made get-go bet with their parents and another 20% with other family members (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). Paren ts gamble in close proximity to their children and they have a poor understanding of the negative consequences that this will have on their child (ibid). The Cognitive-Behavioral Model, which is part of the social-learning theory, may explain this cause.The model is based on the principles of learning from imitation, observation, schedules of enforcement and cognition or how the youth would interpret and draw conclusions about the events around him or her (Upfold, 2007). They are obligate to gamble since the adolescents report that their parents are aware of their gambling and that they do not object to it 50% of parents are aware and are not worried, disregarding the age of the child (Felsher et al. , 2003). 58. 5% of children in the study of Felsher et al.(2003) also say that they wager money with their parents, hence they are taught to gamble some parents even purchase lottery tickets for their childs behalf and it has been found that the more severe gambling a child is doing, the more tickets there are purchased by parents. Also, adolescents who were found to be on a regular basis gambling report that they gamble with their family members and 40% say they do it with their parents (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). Problem gambling is governed by a complex set of interrelating factors, causes, and determinants biological, familial, behavioral, social, and environmental (ibid).Under environmental, ease of access of online-gambling sites on the cyberspace is a new problem since the youth can easily access it and can be enticed by the visual appeals of Internet gambling (ibid). Another important reference point and part of the environmental factor which indirectly teaches gambling to children and reinforces it is the school. thither are schools who promote gambling by dint of fundraising activities including lottery, raffle draws, bingo, casino nights, and by permitting card playing within schools (ibid).Another explanation for causes of gambling is the Psyc hodynamic Model, which proposes that personal problems lie within the psyche and are an movement at self-healing or a strategy of resolving unconscious psychic conflictsbeyond voluntary control, (Upfold, 2007), hence the soulfulness continues to engage in gambling. There are three main components in this model and they are 1) Gambling is an unconscious substitute for aggressive outlets 2) Gambling involves an unconscious desire to lose- a wish to be punished in reaction to guilt and 3) Gambling is a medium for continued enactment of mental conflict (ibid).Adolescents do not engage in gambling for money but for excitement and enjoyment through video lottery terminals, sports betting, cards, lotteries, bingo and other forms of gambling, adolescents with a gambling problem exhibit a number of dissociative behaviors such as escape into another world where they have altered egos (Derevensky & Gupta, 2002).Their personality traits that are correlated with risk-taking behavior such as e xcitable, extroverted, anxious and lower self-discipline show that they have poor coping and adaptive skills, so when they cannot cope with many hardships in their life or the striving of being a teenager, they gamble to escape from the real(a)ities of daily life (ibid).Gambling has been a way for adolescents who experience negative life events and use emotional-coping strategies to escape their problems, even if they have claimed to have social support from their peers (ibid Bergevin, Gupta & Derevensky, 2006). The Trait Theory of Gambling is also part of the psychodynamic model and it show that there are certain personalities that is related to the problem of gambling such as depression, anti-social personality disorder- particularly for pathological gamblers, and narcissism- as seen in the compulsive gamblers (Upfold, 2007).Other identified risk factors that may endure to adolescent gambling include staminate gender, alcohol and drug use, deviant peers, family history of gamb ling, and impulsive behavior (Pietrzak, Ladd & Petry, 2003). Consequences of Adolescent Gambling The consequences of adolescent gambling are somewhat similar to that of adult gamblers they not only affect themselves but society as a whole.Adolescent gambling does not only affect the individual adolescent but their families, peers, communities and health services (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). The consequences the adolescent gamblers face are widespread and affects their psychological, behavioral, legal, academic, family and interpersonal domains- they become delinquent, have poor academic performance, void their academic performance or even drop out from school, disrupt their relationship with family and friends, and display criminal behavior (ibid).They face negative health, psychological, social, personal and pecuniary consequences that is why gambling is becoming a public health issue (ibid). It has been found that there is a strong correlation between adolescent gambling an d the increased likelihood to drink alcohol, smoke tobacco and use drugs (Hardoon, Gupta & Derevensky, 2004). Huang & Boyer (2007) also says that adolescent gamblers are more likely to experience psychiatric problems, especially shopping mall use disorders.The common factors that lead to this among adolescents are low self-esteem, depression, suicidal thoughts, victim of abuse, poor school performance, history of delinquency, poor impulse control, being male, early flack of gambling, parental history of gambling, and community/family acceptance of gambling (ibid). This will greatly affect the future of the youth since all that they indulge in is gambling. They become dissociated from the real world and spend much of their time gambling that they do not get to develop themselves as individuals anymore.They become more susceptible to suicide ideation and attempts, they set back their old friends with their gambling associates and they have a higher risk to develop an addiction or p oly addictions (Gupta & Derevensky, 2002). In the study of Felsher et al. (2003), they found that 94% of young male gamblers and 93% of young female gamblers are not afraid to get caught. This shows their lack of concern on what may happen to them if they are caught and this may also show the acceptance of their parents.Since parents and most institutions fail to recognize gambling as a serious problem or certain activities to be gambling (Derevensky and Gupta, 2002), the adolescents are at a higher risk to further develop their gambling addiction. The course of gambling varies from one individual to another however, the social learning theory shows that since gambling behavior is acquired it can be thought of as a continuum or stages from problem- unaffixed gambling all the way to pathological gambling (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005 Upfold, 2007).Messerlian & Derevensky (2005) states that as gambling escalates and one moves along the continuum of gambling risk, the negative outcome s begin to outweigh any potential benefits and this is when they would start experiencing different kinds of impaired personal, health, financial and social consequences. Treatments to Adolescent Gambling The numerous psychosocial costs of gambling to the individual, his/her family and to the community shows that this is a problem that must be addressed and treated (Derevensky and Gupta, 2002).Some adolescents do not know that they have a gambling addiction or disorder and this prevents them from getting proper treatment (ibid) however, with the intervention of family, friends or event the school, the adolescent may get treated. There are several kinds of treatment for adolescents who are already problem or pathological gamblers. Before these are discussed, prevention models for gambling will be discussed first since prevention is better than cure.Government policies should be stricter regarding gambling, particularly On-line gambling since that is readily accessible to the youth. P ublic policies that can influence the social environment and disparage unhealthy gambling behavior such as legislation on advertising and promotion, laws regulating minimum age-requirements and their enforcement, provision of programs for harm minimization, fiscal measures, and regulation of the availability of products should be balanced with the economic gains of the gambling industry (Messerlian & Derevensky 2005).Other prevention models suggested by Derevensky & Gupta (2002) include the need for awareness of the problem activities that increase knowledge on adolescent gambling programs to help modify and change attitude that gambling is not harmless teaching of effective coping and adaptive skills to prevent problematic gambling changing inappropriate conceptions about skill and luck, the illusion of control and independence in gambling activities and identification, assessment and referral of students who are indicative of being at risk to gambling problems.Psychosocial appro aches are one of the methods used to treat pathological gambling and this for adults this includes Gamblers Anonymous (Pietrzak et al. , 2006). For the adolescents several youth groups have been formed such as youthbet. net in Canada and wannabet. org in the United States these website are managed by youths and non-governmental organizations to offer assistance and collaboration to adolescents (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). Piertzak et al.(2006) found that cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) and eclectic therapy have been helpful in diminution problematic gambling behaviors. CBT involves altering the inaccurate perceptions, beliefs and attitudes of adolescents about gambling. The eclectic therapy is the individual approach to treating gambling problems and consists of detailed assessment, acceptance of the problem, development of effective coping skills, restructuring of free time, involvement of family and social supports, cognitive restructuring, establishment of debt payment plan s and relapse prevention (ibid).The motivational enhancement therapy (MET) is also used and is based on the concept that behavior change occurs through identifiable stages pre-contemplation, contemplation, action and maintenance (ibid). In this approach, the therapist is non-confrontational and elicits the adolescents understanding of the consequences of gambling and strengthens the commitment to change the ways of the individual since it has a shorter duration that CBT and other therapies, MET is recommended for onset problems (ibid).A disease model is also sometimes used to treat gambling problems. In this approach, the compulsive gambler is made to embrace abstinence from gambling, to participate in self-help groups and to maintain abstinence by going through therapy to deal with previous or latent psychological problems (Upfold, 2007).There is also the Ecological Approach wherein gambling behavior is viewed from multiple perspectives and addresses the behavior from an individual and socio-environmental level where interventions are made at five levels that affects an individual to gamble biological, familial, behavioral, social and environmental (Messerlian & Derevesnky, 2005). Internal and external factors cause an adolescent to gamble.Occasional gambling is harmless but once exposed to gambling especially at a young age, gambling problems may occur and develop into an addiction, which may affect the social, academic and personal life of the adolescent. Treatments vary such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, eclectic therapy, motivational-enhancement therapy and ecological approach however, prevention of adolescent gambling is still the best and this can be done through increased awareness about the public health problem and stricter government policies regarding access of adolescents to gambling venues, especially online gambling.BibliographyBergevin, T. , Gupta, R. and Derevensky, J. (2006). Adolescent gambling Understanding the role of stress and coping. Journal of Gambling Studies, (22), 195-208. Derevensky, J. L. and Gupta, R. (2002). youth gambling A clinical and research perspective. The Electronic Journal of Gambling Issues. Retrieved April 9, 2008 from http//www. camh. net/egambling/issue2/feature/index. html Felsher, J. R. , Derevensky, J. L. , Gupta, R. (2003). Parental influences and social modelling of youth lottery participation.Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 13 361-377. Hardoon, K. 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