The cards they're dealt: types of gambling activity, online gambling, and risk of problem gambling in European adolescents

IF 4.9 2区医学 Q1 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Social Science & Medicine Pub Date : 2024-11-08 DOI:10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117482

Gabriele Lombardi , Sabrina Molinaro , Rodolfo Cotichini , Sonia Cerrai , Marco Scalese , Elisa Benedetti

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

This study aims to identify risk factors associated with gambling engagement and the likelihood of problem behavior, distinguishing by type of gambling activity and examining the impact of online gambling.

Methods

Data about 85,420 students aged 16 from 33 countries participating in the 2019 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) were analyzed through a three-stage sequential probit model, specifically focusing on four types of activity: lotteries, slot machines, cards, and betting. Furthermore, predicted probabilities were calculated for subsamples of students engaging in different types of gambling activities to explore their influence on the likelihood of problem gambling behavior, conditioned on online gambling involvement.

Results

Certain groups, such as males and those with a history of school difficulties, exhibit a higher likelihood of problematic gambling behavior. Online gaming significantly influences adolescent gambling behavior, with slot machines demonstrating the highest predicted probabilities of risky behavior when combined with online gaming.

Policy implications

The findings highlight that gambling is quite common among adolescents, and that gamblers and problem gamblers display different profiles, suggesting the importance of targeted interventions and support for vulnerable individuals. Public policies should prioritize the regulation of high-risk gambling activities, particularly slot machines, by enhancing the enforcement of age restrictions and the education on the real odds of winning and potential harms of gambling, particularly among adolescents. It is crucial to foster policies and interventions that address the risks associated with online gambling for this age group.

查看原文本刊更多论文

发牌：欧洲青少年的赌博活动类型、网络赌博和问题赌博风险。

目的：本研究旨在确定与参与赌博和可能出现问题行为相关的风险因素，并根据赌博活动的类型加以区分，同时研究网络赌博的影响：本研究旨在确定与参与赌博和问题行为发生可能性相关的风险因素，按赌博活动类型进行区分，并研究网络赌博的影响：通过三阶段顺序概率模型分析了来自 33 个国家的 85,420 名 16 岁学生参与 2019 年欧洲学校酒精和其他药物调查项目（ESPAD）的数据，特别关注四种活动类型：彩票、老虎机、纸牌和博彩。此外，还计算了参与不同类型赌博活动的学生子样本的预测概率，以探讨在参与网络赌博的条件下，这些子样本对问题赌博行为发生概率的影响：结果：某些群体，如男性和有学业困难史的学生，出现问题赌博行为的可能性较高。网络游戏对青少年的赌博行为有重大影响，其中老虎机与网络游戏相结合时，风险行为的预测概率最高：研究结果表明，赌博在青少年中相当普遍，赌徒和问题赌徒表现出不同的特征，这表明对弱势人群进行有针对性的干预和支持非常重要。公共政策应优先考虑对高风险赌博活动，尤其是老虎机的监管，加强对年龄限制的执行力度，并对青少年，尤其是青少年进行有关赌博的真实胜率和潜在危害的教育。至关重要的是，要制定政策和采取干预措施，应对这一年龄段人群与网络赌博有关的风险。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Social Science & Medicine PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH-

CiteScore

9.10

自引率

5.60%

发文量

762

审稿时长

38 days

期刊介绍： Social Science & Medicine provides an international and interdisciplinary forum for the dissemination of social science research on health. We publish original research articles (both empirical and theoretical), reviews, position papers and commentaries on health issues, to inform current research, policy and practice in all areas of common interest to social scientists, health practitioners, and policy makers. The journal publishes material relevant to any aspect of health from a wide range of social science disciplines (anthropology, economics, epidemiology, geography, policy, psychology, and sociology), and material relevant to the social sciences from any of the professions concerned with physical and mental health, health care, clinical practice, and health policy and organization. We encourage material which is of general interest to an international readership.