This study utilized a large contemporary UK cohort study, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), to investigate gambling behaviour and problem gambling in the transition from adolescence to young adulthood.

CACH Team: Alan Emond (PI) Linda Hollén (statistician), in collaboration with Prof Mark Griffiths, International Gaming Research Unit, Nottingham Trent University.

This is a cohort study of gambling behaviour in 17-24 year olds in the UK,   using  the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), an ongoing contemporaneous cohort study . The primary focus is to investigate young people’s gambling activity at 17 years, 20 years, and 24 years, and determine the individual, familial, and environmental antecedents of regular (weekly) gambling in this age group. The second aim is to identify the harms associated with youth gambling, utilizing a validated and standardised assessment tool, the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI).   A range of outcomes were collected between 18 and 25 years, and the analysis is concentrating on mental health difficulties, addictive behaviours with drugs and alcohol and the social and employment consequences of gambling.