Comprehensive report
for principals
Dear <insert
principal's name>:
The first phase
of <insert name of university, e.g., Brock University's > youth gambling
research is nearing completion, and we have prepared a special report for schools,
complete with an executive summary for principals.
Although we are
pleased with the project thus far, there were several limitations to a survey
such as this. We had a total of 2,252 students, but in some of the categories,
only a handful of students were represented. As well, in a survey of this nature,
we have to consider the tendency for a small percentage of youth to over or
under report about their behaviours. These actions do not diminish the significance
of the report but are a cautionary note on interpreting the data. This survey
is one step in an attempt to understand the complexities of adolescents and
problem/addictive behaviours.
As discussed previously,
our research team would like to provide you and your staff with an interesting
and interactive presentation that will explain the key findings of our research
and suggest recommendations for secondary schools based on these results. Links
to youth gambling prevention materials, curriculum and treatment resources will
also be provided during this presentation. We will be in touch shortly to set
up a date.
In order for our
research team to evaluate how the entire research process was for all participating
schools, we are asking principals to complete the enclosed evaluation form.
Please do not put your name on the form Ñ all information is confidential. Please
forward the form to <insert contact name and school board>. <insert
contact name> will ensure that confidentiality is maintained by placing all
evaluations together in an envelope and forwarding it to <insert name of
university>.
Thanks very much
for being a part of this important work. Let's hope that we can continue to
work together in providing education, counselling and other forms of assistance
to young people who face so many challenges as they grow up.
Sincerely,
Our research team
is interested in knowing how the entire research process was for you and your
school. Please complete the following form and forward it to <insert name
of contact> at the <insert name of school board>. Your comments and
feedback are greatly appreciated.
Was communication
effective in planning the administration of the youth gambling survey?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Did the research
team administer the survey with minimal disruption to your school?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Did staff and students'
awareness of youth gambling increase as a result of participating in this research
project?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Would you or your
school participate in further activities with this project?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Was the research
report understandable and informative?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Additional Comments:
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Report on Adolescents
and Gambling:
Attitudes and Behaviours
of Youth in the Niagara Region
(Sample report)
The Youth Gambling
Research Initiative
Brock University
St. Catharines,
ON
L2S 3A1
Phone: (905) 688-5550
Ext. 4566
www.youthgambling-research-initiative.ca
Authors: Dr. Kelli-an
Lawrance, PhD
Dr. John Yardley,
PhD
Lisa Root, MSc
Bob Canham, BEd
Jennifer McPhee,
MSc
Acknowledgements: The authors of this report gratefully acknowledge the Ontario Problem Gambling
Research Centre (O.P.G.R.C.) for funding this important study. More than 2,000
students from nine secondary schools in the Niagara Region completed our survey,
which addressed adolescents' attitudes and behaviours related to gambling. We
extend our sincere thanks to these students as well as the principals, teachers,
staff members and school board officials who so generously assisted us with
this study. Thanks is also extended to the members of our aAdvisory Committee
for their contributions to this project. Members include the following: Dr.
Kelli-an Lawrance (chair), Dr. John Yardley, Lisa Root, Bob Canham, Jennifer
McPhee, Angela Lippert, Heather Travis, and Kristie Willson. Finally, we would
like to thank our excellent team of research assistants for their devotion to
the project and their assistance in administering the surveys. Many thanks to:
Aimee Beaubien, Nicole Barroni, Katie Burrows, Christena Butts, Michael Clark,
Ben Custers, Bonnie Davis, Wayne Deruiter, Tara Doyle, Lyndsay Elliott, Jason
Failes, Anita Federici, Chrissy Fera, Eva Gazso, Anthony Goodman, Ruma Goswami,
Rob Kappes, David Lawrence, Kellie Murphy, Fern Pham, Casey Phillips, Andrea
Ross, Caroline Richardson, Caroline Sottile, Nancy Santamaria, Caroline Sottile,
Tanya Scott, Marcelle Sloetjes, Karilyn Reid, Wendy Shanahan, Jamie Sheepwash,
and Chris Van Nest.
Over the past year,
the Youth Gambling Research Initiative has focused on (1) exploring youth gambling
perceptions and behaviours, and (2) examining patterns of gambling behaviour
in teens along a continuum from experimental to problem gambling. Our goal is
to better understand how some youth progress from experimental gambling to problem
gambling and why some don't. We believe that if we gain a better understanding
of this process, we can use this information to guide the development of prevention/education
and harm reduction interventions.
A questionnaire was completed by 2,252 secondary
school students in the Niagara Region. This self-report survey included questions
that asked teens how often they gambled, what types of gambling they did, what
tempted them to gamble and how they perceived their own gambling behaviours.
In a survey of this nature we have to consider the tendency for a small percentage
of youth to over and under report about their behaviours; however, these actions
do not diminish the significance of the information in this report. Preliminary
findings are outlined in this descriptive report. The report is designed to
function as an information guide for school boards, related agencies, students
who participated in the survey and the parents of these students. Most importantly,
the information contained in this report will be used to guide the development
of interventions aimed at preventing or reducing youth gambling problems.
Prevalence rate
of teen gambling in the Niagara region:
Frequency of gambling among teens in
the past year:
Preferred gambling
activities:
Teens' self-perceptions of their gambling
behaviours:
Beliefs
about the positive outcomes and negative consequences of gambling:
Temptation
to gamble:
Skill
versus luck:
Alcohol use,
drug use and smoking among teens that gamble:
Clinical
measures of teen gambling.
According to an
adolescent screening tool used to assess teens' level of gambling severity:
Comparing
teens who accurately labelled themselves as problem gamblers to teens
who did not:
Do teens who gamble problematically want to quit or reduce their gambling?
Based on the findings outlined in this report, it appears
that:
Summary
This information
should be invaluable to help youth, families, educators, health and social services
personnel, and policy makers better understand the factors leading to youth
gambling and the issues it encompasses. This information speaks to the need
for prevention/education and harm reduction interventions, and for adolescents
it can possibly serve as protection against potential gambling problems. We
plan to use this information to develop such materials, which will be made available
to others who will support this endeavour.