A new study in Mississippi that assessed students with gambling problems at the state’s publicly-funded universities has established that the demographic is often suffering from mental health issues, another important addition to the body of work that helps researchers understand how problem gambling works.
Mental Health Remains a Priority for Researchers Looking into Gambling Issues in Students
Problem gambling is, the survey published in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, an increasingly important issue to addresss, and one that needs swift action.
According to the authors of the research, 1 in 4 students at the state’s eight public universities gambled and 7% already began exhibiting signs of problem gambling. The survey encompassed a sizeable sample of 1,800 students.
Commenting onthese findings, William Magee Center for AOD director and Wellness Education at the Univeristy of Missisippi Nicholas McAfee, as well as the research’s lead author, said:
“Students were really, really struggling. Almost every student in the sample reported some increased level of mental health concern. It didn’t matter what school you went to; it was just across the board.”
As the researcher put it, students who also gambled were more likely to experience mental health issues among a sample that “was already experiencing plenty.”
McAfee acknowledged that the study, which began with a survey in 2021, is not fully applicable’s to today’s landscape, with the rise of prediction markets also another notable development, and often available to those under the age of 21.
“A lot has changed since the study began, but what unfortunately hasn’t changed is access to evidence-based care and treatment or intervention strategies,” McAfee explained. The survey, however, serves to broaden and strengthen understanding of how problem gambling operates across the country.
“This is not a Mississippi thing; we as a country are trying to figure out how to address the proliferation of gambling among young adults and college-age adults, which are among the most at-risk populations,” McAfee said.
The idea that students may need additional help to navigate problems tied to excessive gambling is not new, and there have been more voices heard among academics urging lawmakers to take notice.
Rory Pfund, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, has been similarly seeking to stress the importance of this:
“At the policy level, there are not many, if any, resources in Mississippi dedicated specifically to gambling,” he said. “I hope that this is a call for policymakers to create a mechanism to provide dedicated funding not just to college students, but outside of campus as well.”
How Does Gambling Affect Mental Health Exactly
McAfee, though, is offering a balanced view of the activity, arguing that, despite all it brings, it generates a lot of revenue for the state and therefore cannot be just switched off; equally important, it is to make sure that students are taken care of.
Pfund probes the matter further, asking rhetorically: “Does gambling cause mental health problems, or do mental health concerns make someone more likely to develop gambling problems?”
People with mental health problems are known to be more susceptible to reward-seeking behavior such as gambling or substance abuse, and the latest research looks into the dynamics of how sports betting may be doing a similar thing to impressionable and vulnerable students who are struggling with their studies, making a living, and now – keeping their gambling habits in check.