SynthesisJournal of behavioral addictions2024
The influence of age on gambling problems worldwide: A systematic review and meta-analysis of risk among younger, middle-aged, and older adults.
Synthesis in Journal of behavioral addictions, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed.
- Psychometric Evaluation of the Bilingual Russian-Kazakh Problem Gambling Severity Index: Item-Level Response Patterns and Behavioral Factors Associated with Gambling-Related Harm.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Article
- Problematic Online Gaming and Gambling Among First-Year University Students: Identification of Profiles and Psychological Vulnerabilities.Journal of gambling studies · 2026Article
- Gambling Problems in a Sample of UK University Students: Associations with Mental Health, Other Addictive Behaviours, and Transdiagnostic Factors.Journal of gambling studies · 2026Article
- A comparative analysis of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of gambling disorder by sex among treatment-seeking individuals: A national sample from Türkiye.Journal of behavioral addictions · 2026Article
- When Others Are Present: How Gender and Group Identification Shape Risk-Taking in Novice Gamblers?Journal of gambling studies · 2026Article
- The association between gambling frequency and risk of harm: Analysis using health survey data from England and Scotland.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Observational
- Gambling and its association with psychological distress among different population groups: a cross-sectional study in Great Britain, 2022.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Gambling refusal self-efficacy and protective behavioral strategies mediate and moderate the relationships between impulsivity and gambling outcomes.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Incidence and predictors of problem gambling in first-episode psychosis: A prospective multicentre cohort study.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2026Observational
- Development of lower-risk guidelines for online sports and race betting in Australia using objective behavioural data.Harm reduction journal · 2026Article
- DNA Methylation as a Mediator of Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Relation to PTSD Severity: Identification of Potential Epigenetic Biomarkers.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Gambling and screening for gambling problems in high school students before and after legal gambling age: associations with gender and gambling-related attitudes.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Sex and Age Differences and Psychosocial Determinants of Regular Gambling: Insights from a Community-Based Study.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2025Article
- Risk Factors of At-Risk/Problem Gambling Among Young Adult Spanish Students.Journal of prevention (2022) · 2025Article
- Limit-setting in online gambling: a comparative policy review of European approaches.Harm reduction journal · 2025Review
- From Clicks to Bets: How Social Media Engagement Influences Gambling Severity-Cross-Sectional Research.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background and Aims: Problem gambling (PG) represents a significant public health concern with widespread effects in various cultures and regions globally, with younger individuals and males at a particularly higher risk. This disparity is attributed to a mix of cultural, developmental, and biological influences. To date, there has not been a comprehensive examination to determine whether this risk pattern holds consistently across different jurisdictions. Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis using the PRISMA framework, identifying 21 eligible studies from 18 countries, encompassing 156,249 participants (47.6% male and 52.4% female). Results: The studies varied considerably by region (Asia: 19%, Europe: 52%, Oceania: 19%, North America: 10%), the diagnostic criteria for PG, and participation rates in gambling (ranging from 12% to 92%). Data on PG prevalence was categorised by gender and three age groups (young: 18-35, middle: 30-55, and older: 45-65). Using a random-effects meta-analysis, we found a global PG prevalence of 1.9%. Europe reported a significantly lower prevalence (1.3%) compared to North America (5.3%). Men were found to be 3.4 times more likely than women to engage in problem gambling, although the gap narrows in North America. The young demographic showed a 1.51 times higher likelihood of reporting PG compared to the middle-aged group, whereas older adults were 0.80 times less likely to report PG. Notably, age-related effects varied significantly across regions. Conclusions: Our findings confirm that age and gender significantly influence PG risk across cultures, with significant heterogeneity observed across jurisdictions.
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