The present study examined the relationship between several risk and protective variables associated with problem gambling, substance abuse, and other multiple risk-taking activities by adolescents. With the goal of identifying protective factors that prevent youth from escalating from social gambling to serious problem gambling, this research examined the relationship between family cohesion, school connectedness, coping and adaptive behaviours, mentor relationships, achievement motivation, involvement in conventional organizations, and the development of three health-compromising outcomes---youth problem gambling, substance abuse, and involvement in multiple risk-taking behaviours (e.g., smoking, unsafe sexual activity, and reckless driving). The sample consisted of 2,179 students, ages 11 to 19, in the Province of Ontario. Family and school connectedness were associated with decreased involvement in excessive gambling, substance use, and multiple risk-taking activities. Furthermore, an examination of the effect of potential protective factors on a set of risk factors predictive of adolescent problem gambling suggested that family cohesion plays a role in the prediction of probable pathological gamblers and those at risk for developing a gambling problem. These findings were interpreted with respect to their implications for the development and implementation of prevention programs.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.85150 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Dickson, Laurie Marie |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 002223568, proquestno: AAINR12830, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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