Gambling type preferences, psychological distress and hazardous alcohol use among young Finns

Bibliographic Data

ID21727140
AuthorsKalle Lind (0000-0003-0238-3837, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, corresponding author), Tanja Grönroos (0000-0001-9888-9300, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare), Johanna Järvinen-Tassopoulos (0000-0003-0839-1205, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare), Tiina Latvala (0000-0002-6921-386X, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare), Jukka Kontto (0000-0003-3899-9852, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare), Anne H Salonen (0000-0002-4693-0110, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare)
Year2026
Pages1-16
Publication date2026-06-29
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAddiction Research & Theory (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1476-7392 • E-ISSN: 1606-6359
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/16066359.2026.2693271
OpenAlexW7166590502
LanguageEN
References cited53

Background: Adolescence and early adulthood are periods of heightened vulnerability to gambling harm, financial strain, and mental health problems. Although overall gambling participation has declined among young people in Finland, those aged 20–29 remain overrepresented among individuals experiencing at-risk or problem gambling.Methods: This study uses combined data from the nationally representative Finnish Gambling 2019 and 2023 surveys (2019: N = 3,994; 2023: N = 5,977) to examine gambling behavior among younger respondents. Latent class analysis (LCA) was conducted separately for all respondents and those under age 30 to identify subgroups based on patterns of gambling-type engagement.Results: Among participants under 30, a four-class solution emerged. ‘Mainstreamers’ (36.6%) typically played scratch cards, weekly lotteries, and electronic gaming machines (EGMs). ‘Young omnivores’ (21.5%) engaged in multiple product types and showed associations with at-risk/problem gambling (OR 6.49), hazardous alcohol use (OR 2.00), and a lower likelihood of being female (OR 0.05). ‘Midstreamers’ (22.0%) mainly played scratch cards and EGMs and showed no elevated risk indicators. ‘Moderate mixed’ (19.9%) engaged moderately in EGMs, offshore, and private gambling and were associated with hazardous alcohol use (OR 2.60).Conclusions: These findings demonstrate distinct gambling profiles among young adults and highlight the need for targeted prevention and intervention strategies

Alcohol · Distress · Mental health · Psychological distress · Substance use · Young adult · Gambling Behavior and Treatments · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

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