Risky parental gambling and child delinquency: longitudinal evidence on financial strain and disrupted parenting

Background Parental gambling is increasingly recognized as a source of family strain, yet its impact on children’s behavioral outcomes remains underexamined. Theoretical frameworks, including General Strain Theory and the stress–strain–coping–support model, suggest that financial stress and disruptions to parenting may link parental gambling to child delinquency.Objective This study examines associations between risky parental gambling and children’s delinquent behavior, focusing on financial hardship and parenting practices as potential mechanisms.Participants and setting Data were drawn from 2993 children in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, a nationally representative cohort.Methods Risky parental gambling was measured using the Problem Gambling Severity Index at Wave 7 (2016), and children’s delinquency at Wave 8 (2018). Structural equation modeling estimated direct and indirect effects, adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics.Results Risky parental gambling was associated with higher levels of child delinquency (β = 0.184). It was also associated with financial hardship, angry parenting, inconsistent parenting, and reduced parental monitoring, each linked to greater delinquency. Significant indirect effects were observed through financial hardship (β = 0.009), reduced monitoring (β = 0.011), and angry parenting (β = 0.017), but not inconsistent parenting (β = 0.009).Conclusion Risky parental gambling is a risk factor for child behavioral difficulty such as delinquency, a mechanisms that is likely to operate through economic stress and parenting disruptions. These findings support integrating gambling-related harm into child protection and family support policy and practice.