Birth cohort and sex differences in the age of gambling initiation in the United States: evidence from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication

Abstract

Youth gambling has become a significant public health concern, and it appears that individuals are gambling at younger ages than they did in earlier generations. We tested this question by examining birth cohort differences in the age of onset of gambling in a national epidemiologic survey. Data were drawn from the United States National Comorbidity Survey Replication, a nationally representative general population survey of adults born 1904–84. Individuals were divided into four birth cohorts. The cohorts were compared on their lifetime gambling involvement and age of onset of gambling. Significant birth cohort and sex differences were found in the age of gambling initiation, with more recently born cohorts starting to gamble at progressively earlier ages, and men starting to gamble at younger ages than women. The mean age of onset of gambling for individuals born before 1942 was 32.9 years, and for those born between 1973 and 1984 it was 16.9 years. The overall mean ages of onset of gambling were 20.8 for men and 26.4 for women, but more recently born women appear to be ‘catching up’ with their male counterparts. This decreasing age of gambling initiation may help explain the increasing prevalence of disordered gambling in the United States.

Keywords:

• epidemiology
• gambling
• age
• United States
• young adults

Acknowledgements

The National Comorbidity Survey Replication (Principal Investigator, Ronald C. Kessler, Harvard Medical School) was supported by National Institute of Mental Health grant U01-MH60220 with supplemental support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the John W. Alden Trust.

Notes

^1. There were concerns that including ‘speculating on high risk stocks’ in the definition of gambling might be problematic because (1) it is unclear how to distinguish gambling-related from non-gambling-related stock purchases, given that all stock investments entail financial risk; and (2) the definition of ‘high risk’ is somewhat ambiguous. We first investigated whether any individuals reported speculating on stocks, but reported no other gambling activities, which might indicate normative stock investment. Results revealed that no respondents reported only stock gambling. People who speculated on high-risk stocks engaged in an average of six additional gambling activities. We next investigated whether the inclusion of stock gamblers had a significant effect on the mean age of gambling initiation in the sample. When including and excluding stock gamblers, the mean ages of gambling onset were 23.7 and 24.1 years, respectively. Therefore, it appears that the NCS-R's inclusion of stock purchases in its definition of gambling did not have a notable impact on results.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Leah S. Richmond-Rakerd

Leah S. Richmond-Rakerd is a doctoral student in clinical psychology at the University of Missouri. She received her AB in Community Health from Brown University and her MA in Psychology from the University of Missouri. Ms Richmond-Rakerd's research interests concern age- and stage-related changes in the genetic and environmental contributions to addictive behaviours.

Wendy S. Slutske

Wendy S. Slutske is a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Missouri. Her primary research interests are the epidemiology and genetic underpinnings of addictive disorders, with a focus on disordered alcohol and gambling involvement. She received the 2011 Scientific Achievement Award from the National Center for Responsible Gaming. Dr Slutske received her PhD in psychology from the University of Minnesota, and obtained postdoctoral training in psychiatric epidemiology and biostatistics from Washington University in St Louis.

Thomas M. Piasecki

Thomas M. Piasecki, is a professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri, investigates motivational processes in addictive behaviors. Dr Piasecki received his PhD in psychology from the University of Wisconsin and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.