TLDR
- A Mississippi study found that 25% of students at public universities gambled, with 7% showing signs of problem gambling.
- Nearly all students in the survey reported some level of mental health concern.
- The study surveyed 1,800 students across 8 public universities in 2021.
- Researchers say access to gambling has grown, but mental health support has not kept pace.
- Experts are calling for more funding and resources to help students struggling with gambling.
A new study out of Mississippi has found that college students with gambling problems often deal with mental health issues too. The research adds to a growing body of work on how gambling affects young adults on campus.
The survey appeared in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. It looked at students across 8 public universities in Mississippi.
Researchers gathered data from 1,800 students. About 25% said they had gambled, and 7% showed symptoms of problem gambling.
Nicholas McAfee led the study. He directs the William Magee Center for AOD and wellness education at the University of Mississippi.
McAfee said students in the survey were facing real struggles. Almost every student reported some level of mental health concern.
He said the pattern showed up across every school in the study. No single university stood apart from the others.
Access to Gambling Has Grown
McAfee pointed out that the data was collected back in 2021. He said the situation has shifted since then.
Prediction markets have grown a lot in recent years. Many of these platforms can be reached by people under the age of 21.
At the same time, McAfee said access to mental health support has not grown at the same pace. That gap worries researchers.
He said young adults and college students remain one of the groups most at risk. He also said this is not just a Mississippi problem.
Calls for More Support
Rory Pfund is an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He said the policy response so far has been limited.
Pfund said Mississippi has almost no dedicated resources for gambling problems. He said the study should push lawmakers to set up funding for support.
He added that help should not stop at college campuses. He said it needs to reach people beyond school too.
The study builds on a wider push from academics. Many have been asking lawmakers to treat student gambling as a real issue.
McAfee took a balanced view of the topic. He said gambling brings in a lot of money for the state and cannot simply be shut down.
Still, he said protecting students matters just as much. He wants schools to keep that in focus going forward.
Pfund raised a question about cause and effect. He asked whether gambling leads to mental health problems, or whether existing mental health problems lead people to gamble.
He said people already dealing with psychological struggles often turn to things like gambling or substance use. These activities can offer a quick sense of reward.
The study looks closely at how gambling affects students who are already under stress. That includes pressure from schoolwork and money problems, on top of gambling habits that are hard to break.
