Intention to gamble among junior secondary school students in Hong Kong : changes and predictors

Adolescent gambling is a growing problem in the global context. In this chapter, intention to engage in gambling among junior secondary school students is examined using the data based on a 3-year longitudinal study. Results showed that intention to engage in gambling behavior increased in the junior secondary school years. Based on the Wave 3 data, concurrent prediction analyses showed that age, gender, parental marital status, family functioning, and positive youth development attributes predicted intention to engage in gambling at the same time. Longitudinal analyses further showed that gender, family communication, and positive youth development at Wave 1 predicted intention to gamble at Wave 3. While being male and growing up in non-intact families can be regarded as risk factors for adolescent intention to engage in gambling, good family functioning and possession of positive youth development attributes are factors protecting junior secondary school students from engaging in gambling.