Adolescent Gambling Research Articles

The Link between Attachment and Gambling in Adolescence: A Multiple Mediation Analysis with Developmental Perspective, Theory of Mind (Friend) and Adaptive Response.

Introduction: Several studies have supported the evidence that attachment styles are a central factor in adolescent gambling problems. On this theoretical basis, the aim of the present study is to analyze a hypothesized mediation model exploring both the direct and indirect effects of insecure attachment on gambling disorder by investigating the role of the developmental perspective, theory of mind (friend) and adaptive response in that relationship. Method: The sample consists of 178 adolescents who underwent the Measures: South Oaks Gambling Screen—Revised for Adolescents and Friends and Family Interview. Result: The mediation analysis was conducted following Hayes’ (2018) procedure, using Model 6. The results showed a significant association between insecure attachment and gambling disorder (β = 0.669; p < 0.001). The findings also highlighted a significant chained mediation model in which insecure attachment negatively influenced the developmental perspective (β = −0.742; p < 0.001), which affected the theory of mind toward one’s own best friend (β = 0.352; p < 0.001). Conclusions: The results highlighted a significant role of insecure attachment in predicting the symptomatic expression of gambling among adolescents, specifically impacting the development perspective, theory of mind toward one’s best friend and adaptive response to stress, which were linked to each other by a sequential influence. Therefore, our results showed that a poor developmental self-vision predicted a dysfunctional theory of mind toward the best friend. This could hinder the formation of positive peer relationships, which are crucial for the development of one’s identity.

Longitudinal Changes in Gambling, Buying and Materialism in Adolescents: A Population-Based Study.

Gambling disorder, gambling-related cognitive biases, compulsive buying, and materialistic values lead to impaired functioning in important areas of life. The aims of the present longitudinal study are (1) to evaluate the change produced after one year in those mentioned variables and (2) to examine the gender role in these changes and to analyze the mediational mechanisms among the variables of the study. The sample was composed of 182 adolescents (103 females and 79 males) from secondary education Spanish institutions who completed self-administered questionnaires. Structural equation modeling has been used to explore associations between the different variables. Our results show significant decreases in compulsive buying, materialism, and cognitive biases related to gambling after one year. Gambling disorder severity was directly related to cognitive distortions of gambling and being a man. Compulsive buying was associated with older age and the female gender. Materialism was associated with compulsive buying and the male gender. In conclusion, gambling disorder, gambling-related cognitive biases, compulsive buying, and materialistic values change over time in different ways, according to gender. The understanding of gambling disorder and compulsive buying in adolescents could potentially lead to early prevention and treatment programs for the specific needs of gender and age.

Adolescent gambling and gambling-type games on social networking sites: Issues, concerns, and recommendations

Research indicates that compared to the general population, teenagers and students make the most use of social networking sites (SNSs). Although SNSs were originally developed to foster online communication between individuals, they now have the capability for other types of behaviour to be engaged in such as gambling and gaming. The present paper focuses on gambling and the playing of gambling-type games via SNSs and comprises a selective narrative overview of some of the main concerns and issues that have been voiced concerning gambling and gambling-type games played via social network sites. Overall, there is little empirical evidence relating to the psychosocial impact of adolescents engaging in gambling and gambling-type activities on SNSs, and the evidence that does exist does not allow definitive conclusions to be made. However, it is recommended that stricter age verification measures should be adopted for social games via SNSs particularly where children and adolescents are permitted to engage in gambling-related content, even where real money is not involved.

Lottery-Purchasing Adolescents: Gambling Perceptions, Problems, and Characteristics.

Gambling on the lottery is a prevalent behavior, and lottery products are increasingly available in online and electronic formats. As lottery-purchasing is prevalent in adolescents, this study systematically examined relationships between lottery-purchasing and problem-gambling severity and gambling perceptions and attitudes, as well as differences in the relationships between problem-gambling severity and measures of health/functioning and gambling characteristics among lottery-purchasing groups. Participants were 1517 Connecticut high-school adolescents with past-year gambling. Chi-square and logistic regression models were conducted, and interactions between problem-gambling severity and lottery-purchasing status on multiple outcomes were determined. Lottery-purchasing, compared to non-lottery-purchasing, adolescents had greater problem-gambling severity and reported more permissive gambling attitudes and greater parental approval of gambling. Significant between-group differences were observed, with at-risk/problem-gambling more strongly associated with having friends and adult gambling partners among non-lottery-purchasing adolescents, and machine and online gambling, and gambling alone more strongly associated among lottery-purchasing adolescents. Greater problem-gambling severity, permissive gambling attitudes, and parental approval of gambling in lottery-purchasing adolescents suggest that parenting contexts are important considerations in prevention efforts targeting problem gambling in youths. Between-group differences in associations between problem-gambling severity and gambling types and partners may identify high-risk groups associated with more solitary gambling behaviors for whom targeted interventions may be adapted.

Using the Risk-Return Model to Explain Gambling Disorder Symptoms in Youth: An Empirical Investigation with Italian Adolescents

Historically, individual differences research has sought to explain problem-gambling severity in adolescence by means of unitary "risk-taking" traits, such as sensation seeking and impulsivity, implying that these personality traits account for risk-taking tendencies across different types of behaviors and situations. However, increasing empirical evidence suggests that risk taking seems to be better conceptualized as a domain-specific construct. In the current study, we adopted a psychological risk-return framework, which posits that perceptions of perceived risks and benefits predict gambling risk attitudes, which in turn, account for variance in Gambling Disorder (GD) symptoms in adolescents. The study involved 296 Italian adolescents (68% boys, Mage = 17.76, SD = 1.17). Participants completed the risk-taking, risk perception, and expected benefits scales from the Adolescent Domain Specific Risk Taking (DOSPERT) scale (Barkley-Levenson et al. in Dev Cognitive Neurosci 3: 72-83, 2013), as well as the Gambling Behavior Scale for Adolescents (GBS-A; as reported (Primi et al. in Gambling Behavior Scale for Adolescents in, Hogrefe, Florence, 2015) were administered. Consistent with predictions, risk-taking scores for the Gambling domain predicted adolescent gambling outcomes, relative to the other DOSPERT risk-domains (Ethical, Health/Safety, Recreational, Social). Additionally, we found that greater Gambling risk perceptions were associated with lower risk-taking scores, whereas greater perceived expected benefits were associated with higher risk-taking scores. Moreover, we found significant indirect effects between perceived risks and benefits and problem-gambling severity, mediated via Gambling risk-taking scores, though expected benefits demonstrated a stronger indirect effect. These results have important implications for practice as they emphasize that specific interventions aimed at preventing problem gambling in adolescents should address their perceptions about gambling benefits.

Gambling in adolescents during the financial crisis in Greece.

Problem gambling emerges as a serious and ever growing problem of modern societies, largely affecting adolescents as well. The etiology of gambling disorder is complex and multifaceted as it is governed by multiple and interrelated factors. In this context and in light of the pervasive financial crisis in Greece, we conducted a study in order to explore adolescents' gambling involvement in Athens region and also to identify the socio-economic characteristics of adolescents who have engaged into gambling activities. Students were recruited from a sample of schools in Athens area. For the assessment of gambling involvement in adolescents, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV Multiple Response Adapted for Juveniles Questionnaire (DSM-IV-MR-J) was administered. Additional self-constructed questions enquired about students' socio-demographic and economic characteristics. Our results indicate that adolescents that had problem with gambling or had at least one pathological item on DSM were more likely to be boys and to have been born in a country other than Greece. Additionally, the proportion of those having at least one pathological item on DSM was greater in those with low school grades. Τhe lack of food in the household due to inability of providing food during the last month was significantly associated with both having problem with gambling and having at least one pathological item on DSM. Furthermore, having been worried that there would not be enough food during the last month and having been fed with a restrained variety of food due to lack of recourses were associated with at least one pathological item on DSM. These findings are congruent with the literature suggesting that youth living under poverty often resort to gambling. In conclusion, our results point out the adverse effects of the financial crisis on the development of problem gambling in adolescents within the Greek society. Problem gambling may have developed in response to the ubiquitous insecurity characterizing the Greek society during this rough time period. Interventions should prioritize endowing adolescents with the necessary coping skills for dealing with daily obstacles or life adversities productively and without losing their self-control.

청소년 도박문제 보호 · 위험요인 척도 개발

청소년 도박문제 보호 · 위험요인 척도 개발

Sensation Seeking and Gambling Behavior in Adolescence: Can Externalizing Problems Moderate this Relationship?

Gambling is a widespread phenomenon during adolescence. Among different risk factors involved in the onset of adolescent gambling behaviors, one factor that is studied is the sensation seeking personality trait. However, the literature is heterogeneous and a direct relationship between sensation seeking and gaming behaviors has not always been highlighted. This suggests that the relationship can be influenced by other factors. In particular, we explored the moderating role of externalizing problems in this relationship. A total of 363 adolescents (232 males and 131 females) aged 14 to 20 (M = 16.35, SD = 1.36) completed a battery of questionnaires aimed to assess their gambling behaviors, as well as the levels of externalizing problems and sensation seeking. The results showed that sensation seeking was associated with gambling severity, but this relationship was significant when externalizing problems were high and medium. On the contrary, when externalizing problems were low, the relationship between sensation seeking and gambling severity was not significant. Overall, sensation seeking in adolescence can favor the implementation of risk behaviors, such as gambling, but only in association with the presence of externalizing problems. Limitations, strengths, and social and clinical implications of the present study are discussed.

Screening Performance of the Korean Version of the Gambling Problem Severity Subscale of the Canadian Adolescent Gambling Index (CAGI GPSS)

The CAGI GPSS is the only instrument that was specifically developed to measure adolescent problem gambling. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the screening performance of the Korean version of the CAGI GPSS. The Korean version of the CAGI GPSS was validated with 1456 adolescents in South Korea. The results indicated that the Korean version of the CAGI GPSS was a unidimensional instrument, like its English version, and that it showed satisfactory internal consistency reliability and convergent validity. The Korean version of the CAGI GPSS demonstrated optimal performances at a cut-off score of 5. The cut-off score of 5 found in this study should be used to identify adolescents in school settings who had gambling problems. However, the sensitivity and specificity results should be interpreted with caution, because the adolescents included in the reference group might not represent all adolescents with gambling problems. Further evaluation is needed to heighten the values of the Korean version of the CAGI GPSS.

Head Injury Linked to Gambling in Adolescents

Previous studies in adults have associated problem gambling with traumatic brain injury (TBI), alcohol use disorder, and suicidality. To see whether

Gambling Behaviors in Adolescent Male and Female Regular and Non-Regular Gamblers: A Study of Central Italian Adolescents.

Gambling is a widespread and popular phenomenon among adolescents. However, little is known specifically about adolescent gambling behaviors in Italy. The aim of the present study was to explore the prevalence and frequency of gambling behaviors, the types of bets most frequently chosen, the amount of money spent on gambling, and the more frequent problem gambling behaviors, taking into account the type of gambler (regular and non-regular), gender, and age. For this propose, 1255 adolescents (59.1% males) aged 13 to 19years (M = 16.06; SD = 1.47), were recruited for the study. Results of a series of chi-squared tests show that 70.8% of adolescents had gambled at least once in the previous year, with more than 68% of minors declaring that they had gambled. Among those who claimed to have gambled, 24% were regular gamblers who spent more money, had more gambling-related problems, and chose games more at risk for developing gambling addiction, compared to non-regular gamblers. Regarding gender, results show that males gambled more, more frequently, spent more, and presented more gambling-related problems than females. About age, adolescents of age gambled more on some games that involved going to places to bet than minors but no differences between minors and of-age adolescents emerged on the amount of money spent and in being a regular gambler or not. However, gender and age differences emerged only in the non-regular group, whereas in the regular-gambling group, males and females and minor and of-age adolescents did not differ on any aspect analyzed.

Machine learning-based analysis of adolescent gambling factors.

Problem gambling among adolescents has recently attracted attention because of easy access to gambling in online environments and its serious effects on adolescent lives. We proposed a machine learning-based analysis method for predicting the degree of problem gambling. Of the 17,520 respondents in the 2018 National Survey on Youth Gambling Problems dataset (collected by the Korea Center on Gambling Problems), 5,045 students who had gambled in the past 3 months were included in this study. The Gambling Problem Severity Scale was used to provide the binary label information. After the random forest-based feature selection method, we trained four models: random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), extra trees (ETs), and ridge regression. The online gambling behavior in the past 3 months, experience of winning money or goods, and gambling of personal relationship were three factors exhibiting the high feature importance. All four models demonstrated an area under the curve (AUC) of >0.7; ET showed the highest AUC (0.755), RF demonstrated the highest accuracy (71.8%), and SVM showed the highest F1 score (0.507) on a testing set. The results indicate that machine learning models can convey meaningful information to support predictions regarding the degree of problem gambling. Machine learning models trained using important features showed moderate accuracy in a large-scale Korean adolescent dataset. These findings suggest that the method will help screen adolescents at risk of problem gambling. We believe that expandable machine learning-based approaches will become more powerful as more datasets are collected.

Machine learning-based analysis of adolescent gambling factors

Background and aimsProblem gambling among adolescents has recently attracted attention because of easy access to gambling in online environments and its serious effects on adolescent lives. We proposed a machine learning-based analysis method for predicting the degree of problem gambling.MethodsOf the 17,520 respondents in the 2018 National Survey on Youth Gambling Problems dataset (collected by the Korea Center on Gambling Problems), 5,045 students who had gambled in the past 3 months were included in this study. The Gambling Problem Severity Scale was used to provide the binary label information. After the random forest-based feature selection method, we trained four models: random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), extra trees (ETs), and ridge regression.ResultsThe online gambling behavior in the past 3 months, experience of winning money or goods, and gambling of personal relationship were three factors exhibiting the high feature importance. All four models demonstrated an area under the curve (AUC) of >0.7; ET showed the highest AUC (0.755), RF demonstrated the highest accuracy (71.8%), and SVM showed the highest F1 score (0.507) on a testing set.DiscussionThe results indicate that machine learning models can convey meaningful information to support predictions regarding the degree of problem gambling.ConclusionMachine learning models trained using important features showed moderate accuracy in a large-scale Korean adolescent dataset. These findings suggest that the method will help screen adolescents at risk of problem gambling. We believe that expandable machine learning-based approaches will become more powerful as more datasets are collected.

Gambling in children and adolescents.

Children are susceptible to problems with gambling because of developmental and cognitive immaturities, as well as a sensitivity to peer pressure and marketing. This review uses recent UK data from the Gambling Commission and from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, and evidence from recent reviews of gambling in children and adolescents. The prevalence of gambling in children worldwide and in the UK is stable, having generally decreased since 2013. Online gambling is increasing in children and young people. A small minority of adolescents who gamble develop a gambling disorder. Adolescents who have problems with gambling tend to have lower self-esteem and a history of hyperactivity and impulsivity, are more likely to have parents who gamble, report less parental supervision and to use more alcohol than their peers. Children's access to slot machines, the relationship between gaming and gambling, and social media advertizing of gambling targeting children. An increase in online gambling and in-play sports betting by adolescents and the use of skins betting in video gaming.Areas timely for developing research: impact on young people of betting on e-gaming. How best to protect children from early exposure to gambling in the current internet age. Need to be aware of the growing and complex phenomenon of gaming and gambling, and implications for the mental health of children and adolescents. The effective management of gambling disorders in children and adolescents requires close working with families.

Gambling and Problem Gambling among Minnesota Public School Students in 2019

This study has three specific aims. First, examine gambling participation and problem gambling rates for 2019. Second, compare 2019 rates of gambling participation and problem gambling to 2016 to determine if rates increased, decreased or stayed the same. Third, examine what demographic, psychosocial and behavioral variables are associated with adolescent problem gambling. The 2019 sample includes 55,552 male and 58,155 female Minnesota public school students enrolled in the 8th, 9th, and 11th grades and the 2016 sample includes 58,232 male and 59,294 female students from 8th, 9th, and 11th grades. Students were administered the Minnesota Student Survey. For 2019, the gambling participation rate was 29.6%, the frequent gambling rate was 6.5%. The problem gambling rate was 0.5% with an additional 2.3% that had problems associated with their gambling but it did not reach the threshold of problem gambling. More boys gambled than girls (38.5% versus 21.1%); more boys gambled frequently than girls (9.7% versus 3.4%); and more boys were positive for problem gambling than girls (0.9% versus 0.2%). There were fewer students gambling in 2019 (29.6%) than in 2016 (32.1%). There were fewer students gambling frequently in 2019 (6.5%) than in 2016 (7.5%). There was no change in the problem gambling rate (0.5%) between 2016 and 2019. Tobacco use and antisocial behaviors were related to problem gambling but only accounted for 16% of the variance in problem gambling. There is a small segment of the adolescent population that gambles excessively and experiences problems associated with their gambling.

Gambling and marketing: a systematic literature review using HistCite

AbstractThis paper presents a systematic literature review using HistCiteTM in the context of gambling. After several iterations of data cleaning, the final dataset comprised 265 articles. Four key themes are identified: profiling gamblers; gambling markets; gambling motivation and fallacies; and societal effects. Further, this study identifies four key emerging research themes and associated directions for future research: adolescent gambling, health conditions and problem gambling, dark nudging. Gambling is economically and socially significant, both in Australia and globally. Whilst gambling taxes are utilised by governments for the social good, the academic literature largely focuses on the issue of problem gambling.

Mentalizing Failures, Emotional Dysregulation, and Cognitive Distortions Among Adolescent Problem Gamblers

Over the past decade, several studies have investigated the relationship between cognitive distortions and emotion regulation among adolescent gamblers, demonstrating the exacerbating role of alcohol consumption when co-occurring with gambling problems. An important construct, that to date has been largely neglected, is mentalizing (i.e. the ability to reflect on one's own and others' mental states). The aim of the present study was (for the first time) to investigate the relative contribution of mentalization, emotional dysregulation, cognitive distortions, and alcohol consumption among adolescent gamblers. A total of 396 students (69.2% females) aged 14–19 years were recruited from secondary schools in Southern Italy. Assessment measures included the South Oaks Gambling Screen Revised for Adolescents (SOGS-RA), the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ-8), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the Gambling Related Cognitions Scale (GRCS), and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Regression analysis showed that, along with male gender, the best predictors of adolescent gambling were scores on two GRCS subscales (i.e., ‘inability to stop gambling’ and ‘interpretative bias’), the RFQ-8’s ‘uncertainty about mental states’ dimension, and the DERS ‘impulse control difficulties’ factor, with the overall model explaining more than one-third of the total variance. The results clearly indicated that, along with gambling-related cognitive distortions, uncertainty about mental states, and difficulties remaining in control of one’s behavior when experiencing negative emotions contributed significantly to problematic gambling among adolescents.

Chasing the desire: An investigation on the role of craving, time perspective, and alcohol use in adolescent gambling

Chasing, or continuing to gamble to recoup losses, is a behavioral marker and a diagnostic criterion for gambling disorder. Research on chasing has focused mainly on adults, whereas the analysis of chasing behavior among adolescents has not received empirical attention in the gambling literature. The aim of the present study was to first investigate the interplay between chasing behavior, craving, temporal perspective, alcohol use, and gambling severity among Italian adolescents. Three hundred and sixty-four adolescents took part in the study. Participants completed the South Oaks Gambling Screen Revised for Adolescents (SOGS-RA), the Gambling Craving Scale (GACS), the 14-item Consideration of Future Consequences scale (CFC-14), the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and performed a computerized task assessing chasing behavior. Participants were randomly assigned to the control and the loss condition of the computerized task. Results indicated that the choice to continue playing, as well as chasing frequency did not vary as a function of experimental condition. Hierarchical logistic and linear regression analyses revealed that the decision to chase depended mostly on craving, whereas chasing propensity was affected by craving and alcohol misuse. Notably, gambling severity did not predict either the decision to chase, or the chasing persistence. The present study contributes important findings to the gambling literature, highlighting the role of craving alcohol use in facilitating the inability to stop within-sessions gambling among adolescents. These findings may provide evidence that nonchasers and chasers represent two different types of gamblers, and that the difference may be useful for targeting more effective therapies.

Coping Strategies, Creativity, Social Self-Efficacy, and Hypercompetitiveness in Gambling Behaviors: A Study on Male Adolescent Regular Gamblers.

The purpose of this research was to explore the cognitive and personality characteristics of male adolescent gamblers. Participants were 273 teenage males (M = 18.04, SD = 2.10) attending betting centers in Sicily, who completed self-report questionnaires on gambling, creativity, perceived social self-efficacy, hypercompetitiveness, and coping strategies. Pathological gamblers reported higher levels of avoidant coping strategies than occasional gamblers. They also scored higher on hypercompetitiveness than both occasional and problem gamblers. Further, problem gamblers scored higher than occasional gamblers on the complexity domain of creative personality. Finally, poor perceived social self-efficacy, higher levels of avoidant coping, and hypercompetitiveness predicted pathological gambling. Theoretical, psycho-educational, and clinical implications are discussed.

Excitement-Seeking Gambling in Adolescents: Health Correlates and Gambling-Related Attitudes and Behaviors.

Motivational characteristics such as excitement-seeking are key components of models of addiction, including problem gambling. Previous studies have established associations between excitement-seeking and problem gambling in youth. However, these studies have employed dimensional psychological assessments which are unlikely to be routinely administered. Other approaches to conceptualize excitement-seeking could be of value. In the present study, we employed a single question (What are the reasons that you gamble?) to identify adolescents who reported excitement-seeking motivation for gambling. Cross-sectional data from 2030 adolescent gamblers who participated in a Connecticut high-school survey were examined. Gambling perceptions and correlates of problem-gambling severity were examined relative to excitement-seeking and non-excitement-seeking gambling. Gambling perceptions were more permissive and at-risk/problem gambling was more frequent among adolescents with excitement-seeking gambling versus non-excitement-seeking gambling. A weaker relationship between problem-gambling severity and moderate and heavy alcohol use was observed for excitement-seeking versus non-excitement-seeking gambling. Excitement-seeking gambling is associated with more permissive gambling-related attitudes and riskier gambling behaviors and may account for some variance in adolescent risk of heavy alcohol use. A single question may provide important information for identifying adolescents who are at elevated risk of problem gambling and associated negative outcomes, although the utility of the question in specific settings warrants direct examination, especially given the observed high prevalence of excitement-seeking motivations for gambling.