Positive youth development and behavioral intention to gamble among Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong

Abstract

This paper examines the relationships between positive youth development and behavioral intention to gamble among Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong. Over a period of two years, four waves of data were collected from Chinese secondary school students who responded to validated measures of Chinese positive youth development and adolescent behavioral intention to gamble. Consistent with the general prediction and with the exception of social competence and positive and clear identity, results showed that positive youth development indexed by different indicators was negatively related to adolescent behavioral intention to gamble. Multiple regression analyses showed that positive youth development measures predicted adolescent gambling and their changes over time. The present findings suggest that promoting positive youth development is a possible strategy that can help to prevent adolescent problem gambling.