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ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to inform policymakers on current gambling beliefs, motives, and behaviors of both community college and university students in an effort to evaluate the extent of problem gambling in the overall college student population. To examine differences in gambling and problem gambling between community college and university students, 398 community college and university students completed a series of gambling-related surveys. The surveys captured types and frequency of gambling and assessed for gambling beliefs, motives, and correlates of problem gambling, as well as problem gambling treatment exposure. Students were screened for problem gambling using the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). In addition to comparative analyses of gambling differences between college types, a logistic regression model was developed to further examine significant associations of at-risk/problem gambling. Having an alcohol and/or other drug (AOD) problem and being under a doctor’s care during the past 12 months because of physical or emotional problems brought on by stress were significantly associated with at-risk/problem gambling. Also significant, community college students were found to be 38.5% more likely to engage in at-risk/problem gambling than university students. Community college students experience a significantly higher rate of at-risk/problem gambling than university students (30.7% vs. 22.0%). Epidemiological data presented in this report have the potential to aid in the development of needed gambling addiction services for community college students.
Acknowledgment
We would like to acknowledge the following OSAM Regional Epidemiologists for their efforts in data collection and data organization for this study: Sarah Balser, Joseph Cummins, Tasha Perdue, and Celia Williamson.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
R. Thomas Sherba
R. Thomas Sherba is the Principal Investigator of the Ohio Substance Abuse Monitoring (OSAM) Network. Beth Gersper is the Coordinator of the OSAM Network.
Beth E. Gersper
R. Thomas Sherba is the Principal Investigator of the Ohio Substance Abuse Monitoring (OSAM) Network. Beth Gersper is the Coordinator of the OSAM Network.