Association Between Early Onset of Gambling Participation and Substance Use in Preadolescents and Age-17 Frequency and Characteristics of Addictive Behaviors

This study examined the specific and potential joint contribution of early onset of gambling participation (GP) and substance use (SU) in preadolescence to the frequency and characteristics of both behaviors in late adolescence, while controlling for confounders. Participants ( N = 1,270; 51.2% boys) were part of a Canadian birth cohort. Age 10–12 years self-reports of GP and SU over the past year (collected 2007–2009) were used to identify preadolescents with either no onset of GP or SU (reference group), onset of GP-only, onset of SU-only, or onset of both GP and SU. Results showed that (1) preadolescent onset of either GP or SU is associated with corresponding behaviors and characteristics reflecting their seriousness at age 17 (collected 2014); (2) preadolescent onset of GP-only constitutes a risk for adolescent SU, but not the reverse; and (3) among preadolescents who initiated either GP or SU, those initiating both showed a higher number and severity of both types of outcomes at the end of adolescence. These findings are consistent with developmental models of addictive behaviors and highlight the importance of assessing both GP and SU for a comprehensive evaluation of preadolescents’ early involvement and underlying risk for addictive behaviors in late adolescence.