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Environmental influences associated with gambling in young adulthood
Silvia S Martins1, Carla L Storr, Grace P Lee
1Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. smartins@jhsph.edu
Summary
Neighborhood disadvantage is linked to increased gambling frequency and problems in urban young adults. Higher disadvantage, especially concerning inhabitants, significantly elevates risks for gambling issues in this population.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Public Health
- Criminology
Background:
- Social and environmental factors significantly influence gambling behaviors.
- Understanding these influences is crucial for local policy regarding gambling accessibility.
- Neighborhood disadvantage is a key environmental factor to investigate.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between neighborhood disadvantage and gambling among low-income, urban young adults.
- To differentiate the impact of physical neighborhood characteristics versus compositional aspects.
- To identify specific neighborhood disadvantage factors linked to gambling frequency and problems.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study data from 596 young adults (21-22 years) in urban Mid-Atlantic schools.
- Factor analysis to identify "inhabitant disadvantage" and "surroundings disadvantage" factors.
- Logistic regression models to assess associations between neighborhood disadvantage and gambling outcomes.
Main Results:
- One-third of the sample reported past-year gambling; 42% gambled weekly, and 31% had gambling problems.
- Living in moderate and high disadvantaged neighborhoods increased past-year gambling likelihood.
- High neighborhood disadvantage, particularly inhabitant disadvantage, was strongly associated with frequent gambling and gambling problems (aORs 2.26 and 2.81, respectively).
Conclusions:
- Higher neighborhood disadvantage, especially inhabitant-related factors, is significantly associated with increased gambling frequency and problems.
- These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions in disadvantaged urban areas.
- Local policies on gambling opportunities should consider neighborhood socioeconomic context.
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