Gambling Among Underage Alcohol Users Between 2008 and 2019: A National Cross-Sectional Study Among Finnish Adolescents.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine trends in the relationship between gambling, alcohol use, and drunkenness between genders in Finland from 2008 through 2019.

Methods: Data were based on six waves (2008-2009, 2010-2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019) of a national cross-sectional School Health Promotion Study. The survey was conducted during a school day among eighth graders (14-15 years old) and ninth graders (15-16 years old) in Finland. The changes in gambling frequency among boys and girls were studied (regular gambling: at least once a week; occasional gambling: 2-3 times a month to less than once a month; no gambling during the previous year), alcohol use (at least once a month), and drunkenness (at least once a month).

Results: The prevalence of adolescent gambling was more than halved between 2008 and 2019. However, the difference between the adolescents with the most favorable outcome (those who were not gambling and used alcohol or were getting drunk less often than once a month) and the adolescents with the least favorable outcome (boys who gambled, used alcohol, or were getting drunk; girls who were gambling regularly and getting drunk or gambling occasionally, using alcohol, and getting drunk) was larger in 2019 than in 2008.

Discussion: These larger differences between adolescents indicate that there has been a polarization of problems between adolescents, and for some individuals, problems are clustering. There is a strong case to be made for protecting adolescents from these risk behaviors and their adverse consequences on multiple levels.