title: Experience with Gambling in Late Childhood and Early Adolescence: Implications for Substance Experimentation Behavior.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Previous research among late adolescents suggests an additive association between levels of engagement in gambling and vulnerability to substance use disorder. The aim of our research was to investigate the frequency of gambling experience in childhood and early adolescence and to examine the association between alcohol/cigarette/energy drink consumption and gambling in this young population.
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey called "Pinocchio" was conducted during the 2013 to 2014 school year at primary and secondary schools in Padua (north-eastern Italy) on a sample of 1325 students in sixth to eighth grade (11-13 year olds). Multilevel analysis, taking the school-level variance into account, established an adjusted association between gambling and attitude to risk-taking among early adolescents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among eighth graders, 45.8% of the boys and 35.4% of the girls reported at least 1 type of gambling. In a fully-adjusted model, having experience of gambling confers a higher likelihood of being consumers (at least once a month) of other substances (alcohol, cigarettes, energy drinks, or marijuana).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gambling behavior is widespread among adolescents. An association with other risk-taking behavior was found in this study, and this provides further evidence of the need for a greater awareness of gambling behavior in early adolescence.
authors.affiliation: *Dipartimento di Neuroriabilitazione del Comportamento, IRRCS San Camillo di Venezia, Venice, Italy; †Department of Molecular Medicine, Laboratory of Public Health and Population Studies, Institute of Hygiene, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gallimberti
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buja
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chindamo
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Terraneo
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marini
authors.forename: Luis Javier
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Gomez Perez
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Baldo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D061215:Energy Drinks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires