The Role of Parents in Adolescent Gambling Participation and Gambling Problems

This study aimed to identify parental influences on adolescent gambling using an online survey of 1,183 Australian parents (69% mothers) with an adolescent aged 12-17 years. The survey assessed a comprehensive range of demographic, adolescent and parent influences on adolescent gambling participation and gambling problems, focusing on gambling-related parental factors (i.e., parent problem gambling, parental attitudes to adolescent gambling, parental facilitation of gambling), parenting practices, and the parent-adolescent relationship. The results of multiple regression analyses revealed that parental facilitation of adolescent gambling was the strongest predictor of adolescent gambling participation and gambling problems, while other significant independent predictors were adolescent simulated gambling, poor parental monitoring, and less positive parent-adolescent relationships. The results emphasize the importance of targeting parents in strategies for reducing gambling and gambling-related harm in adolescents.