Research News
Teacher attitudes toword and awareness of adolescent gambling behavior in the UK
Raegan Murphy and colleagues have published their latest research entitled "Teacher attitudes toward and awareness of adolescent gambling behavior in the UK".
Numbers of adolescents experiencing gambling related harm are increasing. Teachers spend a significant amount of time with students and their attitudes can make an impact on engagement in high-risk behavior. However, teachers’ awareness of, and attitudes towards adolescent gambling are under-researched; this study aimed to address this gap. 157 UK schoolteachers completed an online survey assessing their perceptions of adolescent gambling. Cochran’s-Q tests of association and regression analyses revealed that teachers perceived adolescent gambling as significantly less serious than other high-risk behaviors. Teachers also reported having significantly less frequent conversations about gambling and were less confident addressing gambling issues than other high-risk behaviors. Arguments are made for increased teacher training around problematic youth gambling. Such a strategy would be a prerequisite for the development and implementation of targeted prevention from harms.
For more on this story contact:
Dr Raegan Murphy
raegan.murphy@ucc.ie