PREVALENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH CORRELATES OF GAMBLING AMONG IN-SCHOOL ADOLESCENTS IN PORT HARCOURT, NIGERIA

Abstract

Background Gambling has no formal definition but it includes any activity whereby a person pays something of worth in order to participate in an event that presents the possibility of winning something of value whose outcome is determined at least in part by chance. It is defined in economic terms as ―wagering money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and or material goods‖. The speedy expansion and societal acceptance of legalized and high-stakes gambling, which is now considered fashionable; have raised concerns among public health officials and researchers that underage gambling represents an elevated risk for the eventual development of problem gambling. The foregoing is evident in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, through the recent proliferation of gambling and betting facilities such as Bet Naija, 1960 Bet, 360 Bet, Naira Bet, among others; especially around popular sports such as football. The developmental milieu of adolescence which is characterized by physical and psychological changes, including risky behaviours among others, appears to be a predisposing factor to adolescents‘ gambling engagement. Several studies conducted among adolescents found that gambling has an association with anxiety, depression, conduct problems, and alcohol use. There is paucity of information on adolescent gambling and the associated mental health correlates in Nigeria. This study therefore aimed to ascertain the prevalence and mental health correlates of adolescent gambling in Port Harcourt, Nigeria Methodology This study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey that was conducted in six secondary schools that were drawn from the two local government areas in Port Harcourt. The study participants comprised of senior secondary school students between the ages of 10 to 19 years with a calculated sample size of three hundred and seventy eight (378) respondents. The local government areas were stratified into industrialized and less industrialized areas; and the secondary schools were selected based on this stratification within the local government areas. In total, two public secondary schools (one each from the industrialized as well as the less industrialized areas) were selected from each local government area. Furthermore, a private secondary school was randomly selected from each of the two local governments, thus making for a total of six secondary schools from the two local government areas. The Massachusetts Gambling Screen (MAGS) was used to assess for gambling among the adolescents. The selected mental health problems of interest were anxiety, depression, alcohol use and conduct problems; while self-esteem was incorporated as a related social construct. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to assess for anxiety and depression; the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was used to assess for harmful alcohol use; the conduct disorder section of the Strength and Difficulty Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to assess for conduct problems and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) was used to assess for self-esteem. The data was analyzed using the Statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS). Frequency tables were used to summarize the socio-demographic characteristics of respondents; Chi square was used to determine the association between the variables. The analysis was done using the 95% level of significance Results The socio-demographic variables show that 95.6% practised Christianity, 68.3% come from monogamous families, 54.1% were boys and the highest proportion was from the SS1 class, (36.1%). The prevalence of adolescent gambling in this study was 39.9%. The adolescents who gamble (n=135) reported some socio-economic and psychological problems associated with gambling such as: social and financial pressure (43.7%), neglected obligations (73%), returning to gambling in the hope of winning back lost money (68%) and complaints from family members (53%), among others. There was a statistically significant association between gambling and gender, the adolescents‘ family type, the marital status of the adolescents‘ parents and working to earn money, (P<0.05). This study also shows that a statistically significant association exists between gambling and the following mental health problems: anxiety, depression, alcohol use and conduct problems, (p<0.05). One hundred and fifty six (156) adolescents reported low self-esteem (46.2%). Conclusion The study established that 39.9% of the adolescents who participated in this study engage in gambling, and those who gamble were found to have associated mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, conduct problem and harmful alcohol use. Some of the socio-demographic characteristics of the adolescents such as the marital status of the adolescents‘ parents, working to earn money and male gender were also associated with their gambling behaviour as well as their mental health status