How many children have parents with gambling disorder – a Germany-based estimate
Abstract Background Parental gambling disorder has detrimental financial, psychological, physiological, familial, and behavioral implications for the offspring, making these children highly vulnerable. In Germany, population-based estimates on how many minor children have parents with gambling disor...
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BMC
2025-06-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23520-7 |
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| author | Nina Stefan Larissa Schwarzkopf Sven Buth Gerhard Meyer Andreas M. Bickl |
| author_facet | Nina Stefan Larissa Schwarzkopf Sven Buth Gerhard Meyer Andreas M. Bickl |
| author_sort | Nina Stefan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Parental gambling disorder has detrimental financial, psychological, physiological, familial, and behavioral implications for the offspring, making these children highly vulnerable. In Germany, population-based estimates on how many minor children have parents with gambling disorder are lacking; thus, the immediacy of need for corresponding (public) health care policies remains unknown. Methods Based on the population-representative German Gambling Survey 2023, we estimated the number of children having parents with gambling disorder, including estimates for rates at each parental gambling disorder severity level (mild, moderate, severe). Both cohabiting children and separate living children were considered. To extrapolate lower and upper bounds of estimates, data on number of parents in the household and average number of children was combined with official population statistics. Results Of 282 participants with gambling disorder, 46.8% (n = 132) cohabit with 1.55 children on average; 16.7% (n = 47) are parents of 1.51 separate living children on average. Therefore, in Germany 574,079 to 604,966 children have a parent with gambling disorder, with about 84.0% of them (482,076 to 508,712) cohabiting with the gambling parent. The likelihood of cohabiting decreases with increasing gambling disorder severity (mild: 97.7%; moderate: 85.0%; severe: 72.2%). Discussion In Germany about 1 in 25 children has a parent with gambling disorder. Given that parental gambling disorder is an established risk factor for developing own gambling problems, more comprehensive addiction care and health policy are needed to address this issue. Integrated care and counselling offers targeting both gambling parents and their children may be a promising starting point. Special attention should be paid to separate living children in these approaches. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c4e8054e32fc4526af8f49d1272f8119 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-c4e8054e32fc4526af8f49d1272f81192025-08-20T03:22:57ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582025-06-0125111110.1186/s12889-025-23520-7How many children have parents with gambling disorder – a Germany-based estimateNina Stefan0Larissa Schwarzkopf1Sven Buth2Gerhard Meyer3Andreas M. Bickl4Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry, and Epidemiology – IBE, LMU MunichInstitute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry, and Epidemiology – IBE, LMU MunichISD Institute for Interdisciplinary Addiction and Drug ResearchUniversity of BremenIFT Institut Für Therapieforschung, Centre for Mental Health and Addiction ResearchAbstract Background Parental gambling disorder has detrimental financial, psychological, physiological, familial, and behavioral implications for the offspring, making these children highly vulnerable. In Germany, population-based estimates on how many minor children have parents with gambling disorder are lacking; thus, the immediacy of need for corresponding (public) health care policies remains unknown. Methods Based on the population-representative German Gambling Survey 2023, we estimated the number of children having parents with gambling disorder, including estimates for rates at each parental gambling disorder severity level (mild, moderate, severe). Both cohabiting children and separate living children were considered. To extrapolate lower and upper bounds of estimates, data on number of parents in the household and average number of children was combined with official population statistics. Results Of 282 participants with gambling disorder, 46.8% (n = 132) cohabit with 1.55 children on average; 16.7% (n = 47) are parents of 1.51 separate living children on average. Therefore, in Germany 574,079 to 604,966 children have a parent with gambling disorder, with about 84.0% of them (482,076 to 508,712) cohabiting with the gambling parent. The likelihood of cohabiting decreases with increasing gambling disorder severity (mild: 97.7%; moderate: 85.0%; severe: 72.2%). Discussion In Germany about 1 in 25 children has a parent with gambling disorder. Given that parental gambling disorder is an established risk factor for developing own gambling problems, more comprehensive addiction care and health policy are needed to address this issue. Integrated care and counselling offers targeting both gambling parents and their children may be a promising starting point. Special attention should be paid to separate living children in these approaches.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23520-7Pathological gamblingExtrapolationMinorsHarms to others |
| spellingShingle | Nina Stefan Larissa Schwarzkopf Sven Buth Gerhard Meyer Andreas M. Bickl How many children have parents with gambling disorder – a Germany-based estimate BMC Public Health Pathological gambling Extrapolation Minors Harms to others |
| title | How many children have parents with gambling disorder – a Germany-based estimate |
| title_full | How many children have parents with gambling disorder – a Germany-based estimate |
| title_fullStr | How many children have parents with gambling disorder – a Germany-based estimate |
| title_full_unstemmed | How many children have parents with gambling disorder – a Germany-based estimate |
| title_short | How many children have parents with gambling disorder – a Germany-based estimate |
| title_sort | how many children have parents with gambling disorder a germany based estimate |
| topic | Pathological gambling Extrapolation Minors Harms to others |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23520-7 |
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