Can Your Kid Develop A Gambling Problem?

Just another one of those things to watch out for: did you know that there are now ways to tell whether your kindergartner may be vulnerable to a gambling addiction when they’re older?

Can Your Kid Develop A Gambling Problem?

Here are some interesting findings that some neuroscientists have discovered and reported upon lately: apparently, they have determined that there are certain signs a child can demonstrate while still young, that point to a proclivity to gamble when they’re older.

There was a study made that showed that kids as young as 5 years old can have predictive behaviors that point to risks for developing gambling problems as adults.

They graded the kids according to certain impulsive behaviors and those who got the highest scores had a 25% to 50% greater chance of becoming gamblers later on in life. The behaviors in question were distractibility, hyperactivity and inattentiveness. The more you got this in spades as a child, the more likely it is for you to engage in sports betting and gaming (for money) when you’re older.

But there are ways to address and reform these kids while they’re still young and malleable. Some suggested interventions?

1. Teach them how to stop, look and listen. Allow kids to develop ways to check and take note of their actions in a conscious fashion.
2. Teach them how to engage in private speech. Show them how they can talk themselves out off situations on their own by holding private conversations with themselves. It’s a learned behavior and one that’s proven to help cut down on impulsiveness.

More on this intriguing subject and the hereditary nature of addiction in this CNN video!

You’ll find more highly informative articles in this batch of carnivals I joined this week:

Recent Carnivals

• Money Hacks Carnival: We made the Editor’s Choice at The Penny Daily blog with our post on job hunting tips, and we’re thrilled! Thanks for the honor!
• The Economy and Your Finances Carnival
• Carnival of Personal Finance
• Carnival of Investing Strategies
• Festival of Frugality
• Tax Carnival
• Attract Money, Health and Happiness
• Carnival of Everything Money
• All Things Eco
• Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog
• Carnival of Debt Reduction
• Carnival of Financial Planning
• Working At Home Blog Carnival
• Bankruptcy and Debt Carnival
• The Bobo Carnival of Politics