Prevalence of problem gambling in adolescents: findings from the 1999 Ontario Student Drug Use Survey.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the prevalence of gambling disorders in adolescent students in Ontario.


METHODS
Data were based on a random survey of 2371 Ontario students in grades 7 to 13 using the South Oaks Gambling Screen revised for adolescents (SOGS-RA).


RESULTS
In total, 5.8% of students met the criteria for past-year problem gambling, and an additional 7.5% met the criteria for at-risk gambling. Gambling disorders were significantly higher among male students than female, but did not differ significantly by age or region.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of gambling disorders among adolescents warrants thorough investigation and ongoing monitoring.
Adlaf
E M
EM
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Ontario. edward_adlaf@camh.net
Ialomiteanu
A
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D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009864:Ontario / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012309:Risk-Taking; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires