Ahuja Manik, Werner Kimberly B, Cunningham-Williams Renee M, Bucholz Kathleen K
Department of Health Services Management and Policy, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37604, USA.
College of Nursing, University of Missouri at St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Curr Addict Rep. 2021 Jun;8(2):246-254. doi: 10.1007/s40429-021-00374-8. Epub 2021 May 27.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among Black youth ages 10-19 years. Between 1991 and 2017, rates of suicide among Black youth have been increasing faster than rates among any other race/ethnic group. There are many factors that may explain this increase, with gambling being suggested as one such potential risk factor. This review examines the association between gambling and suicide behaviors, and how these associations may vary between Black and White youth and young adults. The current review examines these associations using data from the Missouri Family Study (MOFAM).
Recent findings have revealed distinct patterns of substance use initiation and gambling behaviors between Black youth and White youth. While strong links between gambling and suicide behaviors have also been reported, whether the associations were consistent across race/ethnicity groups was not investigated, nor in these cross-sectional analyses was it possible to determine whether the gambling behaviors preceded or followed suicidality. Thus, there is a need to investigate whether there are differences in the associations of gambling and suicide behaviors at the race/ethnicity level in tandem with data that examine the sequence of the behaviors. The current report focuses on racial/ethnic differences using data that allow for sequencing the occurrence of the behaviors via the age of first gambling experience, and of first suicidal symptom, to better distinguish the nature of the association.
The current findings revealed that gambling initiation predicted suicide ideation among Black youth, while no significant association was found among White youth. This is of major public health concern, given the rising rates of suicide among Black youth, and the increased availability of gambling. The report did not find a link between gambling and suicide attempts. Culturally tailored interventions should be considered among schools, families, and clinicians/providers, to highlight the risk of adolescent gambling, particularly among Black youth.
自杀是10至19岁黑人青少年的第二大死因。1991年至2017年期间，黑人青少年的自杀率增长速度超过其他任何种族/族裔群体。有许多因素可以解释这种增长，赌博被认为是其中一个潜在风险因素。本综述探讨了赌博与自杀行为之间的关联，以及这些关联在黑人和白人青少年及年轻人中可能存在的差异。本综述使用密苏里家庭研究（MOFAM）的数据来研究这些关联。
最近的研究结果揭示了黑人青少年和白人青少年在物质使用开始模式和赌博行为方面的不同模式。虽然也有报道称赌博与自杀行为之间存在紧密联系，但尚未调查这些关联在不同种族/族裔群体中是否一致，而且在这些横断面分析中也无法确定赌博行为是先于还是后于自杀倾向出现。因此，有必要结合能够检查行为顺序的数据，研究在种族/族裔层面上赌博与自杀行为之间的关联是否存在差异。本报告使用的数据通过首次赌博经历的年龄和首次自杀症状的年龄来确定行为发生的顺序，从而关注种族/族裔差异，以更好地区分这种关联的性质。
当前研究结果显示，赌博开始与黑人青少年的自杀意念之间存在关联，而在白人青少年中未发现显著关联。鉴于黑人青少年自杀率上升以及赌博活动增多，这一情况引起了重大的公共卫生关注。该报告未发现赌博与自杀未遂之间存在关联。学校、家庭以及临床医生/提供者应考虑采取针对文化特点的干预措施，以强调青少年赌博的风险，特别是在黑人青少年中。
