Gambling

The prevalence of gambling is increasing in Ireland and internationally, strongly

influenced by the accessibility of online gambling. Recent research suggests 1-in-30

adults in Ireland are problem gamblers (Ó Ceallaigh et al., 2023). Gambling addiction

has been linked to mental health issues, depression, anxiety, and increased suicide

risk, all of which would impact the relationship between a parent and child (Montiel et

al. 2021). Such questions should be asked of both parents (where applicable) as part

of the self-complete module.

Previous alcohol screening questions in Growing Up in Ireland

In the interest of facilitating cross-cohort comparisons between Cohort 08 at age 3

and previous waves of Growing Up in Ireland in terms of gambling behaviour, it is

worth considering the specific scale(s) employed at past waves of the study and

whether they would be suitable for inclusion at the forthcoming wave of Growing Up

in Ireland.

The Problem Gambling Severity Index is a nine-item measure of problematic gambling

behaviour. It can be used to classify people according to their risk level for problem

gambling (none, low, moderate and problematic). It “presents a viable alternative to

[other tools] for assessing degrees of problem gambling severity in a non-clinical

context” (Holtgraves, 2009), and has been independently validated (Currie et al.,

2013). This scale was used for Cohort 24 at 9 months.

Recommendations for Cohort 24 at 3 years:

•Include items asking parents if they have played and/or bet money on a range of games (lotto, fruit slot machines, casino, online gambling, betting) in the last year. Also ask them to complete the Problem Gambling Severity Index.

Parental health