Impulsivity, risk gambling, and heavy episodic drinking among adolescents: A moderator analysis of psychological health

What is known about population level programs designed to address gambling-related harm: rapid review of the evidence

BACKGROUND

Gambling and gambling-related harm attract significant researcher and policy attention. The liberalisation of gambling in most western countries is strongly associated with a marked rise in gambling activity and increases in gambling-related harm experienced at the population level. Programs to address gambling-related harm have traditionally focused on individuals who demonstrate problematic gambling behaviour, despite clear evidence of the effectiveness of a public health approach to high-risk activities like gambling. Little is known about the availability or efficacy of programs to address gambling-related harm at a population level.

METHODS

The Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation commissioned a rapid evidence review of the available evidence on programs designed to reduce gambling-related harm at a population level. The review was conducted using a public health and harm reduction lens. MEDLINE, ProQuest Central and PsychInfo databases were searched systematically. Included studies were published in English between 2017 - 2023 from all countries with gambling policy contexts and public health systems comparable to Australia's; included primary data; and focused on primary and/or secondary prevention of gambling-related harm or problems.

RESULTS

One hundred and sixty-seven articles were eligible for inclusion. Themes identified in the literature included: risk and protective factors; primary prevention; secondary prevention; tertiary prevention; target population group; and public health approach. The evidence review revealed a gap in empirical evidence around effective interventions to reduce gambling-related harm at the population level, particularly from a public health perspective.

CONCLUSIONS

Addressing gambling-related harm requires a nuanced, multi-layered approach that acknowledges the complex social, environmental, and commercial nature of gambling and associated harms. Moreover, evidence demonstrates community programs to reduce gambling-related harm are more successful in reducing harm when based on sound theory of co-design and address the social aspects that contribute to harm.

Associations Between Heavy Episodic Drinking, Drinking While Gambling, and Risky Gambling

INTRODUCTION

Understanding how patterns of drinking are associated with risky gambling in Australia is needed to inform an effective approach to minimise harm.

METHODS

This cross-sectional questionnaire study reports on 2,704 subsampled participants who completed survey questions about their patterns of drinking. With logistic regressions, we examined whether frequency of heavy episodic drinking (HED) and alcohol use while gambling were associated with risky gambling while controlling for sociodemographic variables.

RESULTS

Occasional HED and monthly HED were associated with any gambling (versus no gambling), but frequent HED was not significantly associated with gambling. The opposite pattern was found when predicting risky gambling. Occasional HED (i.e. less than monthly) was not significantly associated, but a higher frequency of HED (at least weekly) was associated with a higher likelihood of risky gambling. Drinking alcohol while gambling was associated with risky gambling, over and above HED. The combination of HED and use of alcohol while gambling appeared to significantly increase the likelihood of risky gambling.

CONCLUSIONS

The association of HED and alcohol use while gambling with risky gambling highlights the importance of preventing heavy alcohol use among gamblers. The links between these forms of drinking and risky gambling further suggests that individuals who engage in both activities are specifically prone to gambling harm. Policies should therefore discourage alcohol use while gambling for example by prohibiting serving alcohol at reduced prices or to gamblers who show signs of being affected by alcohol and informing individuals of the risks associated with alcohol use while gambling.

Poor school performance and gambling among adolescents: Can the association be moderated by conditions in school?

Introduction

Protective factors of adolescent gambling at the school level and their buffering potential are scarcely explored in prior research. This study aims to examine the protective possibility of low student-teacher ratio on youth gambling, both directly and by moderating the effect of low school performance.

Methods

Data were derived from the 2016 Stockholm school survey, collected among 5,221 grade 11 students (∼17-18 years) in 46 schools, with information on schools' composition and student-teacher ratio obtained through registers. Gambling and risk gambling were coded as binary variables. School performance was captured by self-reported marks in three core subjects, dichotomised into average/above average and below average, respectively. Student-teacher ratio was used both as a continuous and trichotomised variable. Two-level binary logistic regression analyses were performed.

Results

A below average school performance was associated with gambling and risk gambling but the association with gambling was only statistically significant at the 10%-level in the fully adjusted model. Student-teacher ratio was not directly associated with gambling and risk gambling but moderated the associations between school performance and both gambling and risk gambling, as these relationships were less pronounced in schools with a low student-teacher ratio.

Conclusions

In sum, a low student-teacher ratio may protect students from gambling and risk gambling by buffering against the adverse effects of other risk factors, such as poor school performance. These findings suggest that a higher teacher density in upper secondary schools can be beneficial beyond school matters by positively influencing student behaviour outside of school.

School collective efficacy and gambling: A multilevel study of 11th grade students in Stockholm

The aim of the present study was to investigate variations between schools when it comes to gambling and risk gambling, and, in particular, to analyse the links between school collective efficacy and student gambling and risk gambling. The data consists of official register information on schools as well as survey data collected in 2016 among 1,061 teachers and 5,191 students in 46 Stockholm upper secondary schools. School collective efficacy was operationalized on the basis of teacher responses, which were aggregated to the school level. Gambling and risk gambling were based on students' self-reports. Two-level binary logistic regression analyses were performed. The results show that there is between-school variation in gambling and in all the study's indicators of risk gambling. Both gambling and risk gambling were more commonly reported by students attending schools with weak collective efficacy, even when adjusting for student- and school-level sociodemographic characteristics. The findings suggest that conditions at school may counteract students' engagement in gambling and risk gambling.

Separation-individuation from the community among religious Jewish teens in Israel

We wished to understand the contribution of personal, family, and community factors to the risky behaviors (RBs) of religious Jewish teens in Israel, and whether sense of community belonging mediated the religious estrangement/RB association. A convenience sample comprised 645 adolescents aged 14-19 (420 female/225 male) from Israel's national-religious sector was used in this study. Sociodemographic characteristics, self-esteem, future orientation, degree of religious estrangement, perceived parental acceptance, and sense of community belonging were reported. Being a male, older, and living in a rural community were associated with more RBs, as were higher religious estrangement and less acceptance from the mother. Sense of community was found to partially mediate the religious estrangement/RB association. We extended Blos's conceptualization of adolescence as a second separation-individuation from the parents to include a parallel process of separation-individuation from the community. The results may help in designing interventions for adolescents in religious communities.

Should I buy or not? Revisiting the concept and measurement of panic buying

Following various precautionary measures as executed by the government to curb the transmission of COVID-19, erratic changes in the form of temporary lockdowns and movement restrictions have created an emergency phenomenon-panic buying. While such consequence has emerged as a timely and relevant topic, reviewed literature indicate an apparent oversight for portraying panic buying through the perspectives of impulsive and compulsive consumptions. Given the gap in the association between panic buying and consumers' emotional aspects within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study aspires to develop a contemporary measurement that accurately defines panic buying as a research variable. A combined methodology was hereby adopted, with the employment of qualitative inquiries towards the scale development of panic buying. Following this, quantitative data as collected from a total sample of 600 respondents through an online survey was analysed via both SPSS and AMOS statistical software towards scale assessment and hypothesis testing. Obtained findings uncovered the direct significance of both personal (fear, perceived risk, and perceived scarcity) and social (word-of-mouth and social media) factors on panic buying during the pandemic, whilst having indirect significance on the ensuing post-purchase regret. Impulsivity was further confirmed to exert a substantial moderating impact on the correlation between panic consumption and post-purchase emotional distress. Implications of the study are ultimately discussed.

Problematic familial alcohol use and heavy episodic drinking among upper secondary students: a moderator analysis of teacher-rated school ethos

Objective

Building on findings reported in a previous publication, the objective of this study is to explore if teacher-rated indicators of school ethos modify the association between problematic familial alcohol use and heavy episodic drinking among upper secondary students. Data were based on combined information from two separate surveys conducted in 2016 among 4709 students and 1061 teachers in 46 Stockholm upper secondary schools, with linked school-level information from administrative registers. Multilevel binary logistic regression analyses were performed.

Results

Problematic familial alcohol use was associated with an increased likelihood of heavy episodic drinking among upper secondary students (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.12–1.65). Cross-level interactions revealed that the association was weaker among students attending schools with higher levels of teacher-rated ethos. This was true for overall school ethos (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.65–0.97) and for four of five studied sub-dimensions of ethos: staff stability (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.65–0.95); teacher morale (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.65–0.97); student focus (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.65–0.97); and academic atmosphere (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.65–0.96). The sub-dimension “structure and order for dealing with unwanted behaviour” did however not moderate the association between problematic familial alcohol use and heavy episodic drinking (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.77–1.18).

Teacher-Rated School Leadership and Adolescent Gambling: A Study of Upper Secondary Schools in Stockholm, Sweden

So-called “effective schools” are characterised by properties such as a strong and purposeful school leadership and a favourable school ethos. In a previous study we showed that a school’s degree of teacher-rated ethos was inversely associated with student gambling and risk gambling. Building on these findings, the current study aims to examine the associations that teachers’ ratings of the school leadership share with gambling and risk gambling among students in the second grade of upper secondary school in Stockholm (age 17–18 years). Data were drawn from the Stockholm School Survey and the Stockholm Teacher Survey with information from 5191 students and 1061 teachers in 46 upper secondary schools. School-level information from administrative registers was also linked to the data. The statistical method was two-level binary logistic regression analysis. Teachers’ average ratings of the school leadership were inversely associated with both gambling (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.93–0.998, p = 0.039) and risk gambling (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.89–0.99, p = 0.031) among upper secondary students, whilst adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics at the student and the school level. The findings lend further support to the hypothesis that characteristics of effective schools may reduce students’ inclination to engage in gambling and risk gambling behaviours.

Attitudes, Risk Factors, and Behaviours of Gambling among Adolescents and Young People: A Literature Review and Gap Analysis

Gambling is occurring in a rapidly changing landscape, with new trends and technologies affecting gambling behaviour and problem gambling across a range of populations. Gambling activity among adolescents and young people has received considerable research attention due to a high prevalence of gambling reported among these groups in recent years. Despite legislation worldwide to constrain gambling among adolescents and young people, modern technology, such as online gaming apps and online gambling venues, has significantly increased their exposure to the risks of problem gambling. It is important, therefore, to have up to date information about what is currently known about gambling and to explore gaps in our knowledge. This gap analysis presents the results of a systematic approach to reviewing the current literature on gambling behaviour, attitudes, and associated risk factors for gambling and problem gambling among adolescents and young adults (aged 10-25 years). The review included studies published between January 2015 and August 2020 and included 85 studies for final synthesis. Findings reveal further research is needed on the implications for young people of emerging technologies and new trends in gambling in the digital age. The current gap analysis reveals that this should include more research on the development and impact of both treatment and intervention strategies, and policy and regulatory frameworks from a public health perspective.

Individual Variables Involved in Perceived Pressure for Adolescent Drinking

Adolescence is a stage when individuals are especially vulnerable to the influence of their peer group, which could lead to the development of problematic behavior, such as drinking alcohol, due to perceived pressure. The objective of this study was to analyze the role of self-esteem, impulsivity, anxiety sensitivity and expectations for use under perceived pressure to drink alcohol among young people.

METHODS

The sample was made up of 1287 high school students aged 14 to 18, with a mean age of 15.11. The Bayes factor and mediation models were estimated to evaluate the data.

RESULTS

The results showed the existence of a positive relationship of impulsivity, anxiety sensitivity and expectations for use with perceived pressure. However, this relationship was negative with self-esteem and perception of pressure to drink alcohol. Furthermore, the model results showed that self-esteem mediates the relationship between physical, cognitive and social anxiety sensitivity and positive expectations with perceived pressure to drink alcohol in adolescence.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the strong need for affiliation during youth, it is hard to control grouping and peer influence on drinking behavior. However, knowledge of the role of individual variables, such as those described here, in perceived pressure could improve the prevention and intervention of such behaviors.

School ethos and adolescent gambling: a multilevel study of upper secondary schools in Stockholm, Sweden

Background

Gambling is not uncommon among adolescents, and a non-trivial minority has serious problems with gambling. Therefore, enhanced knowledge about factors that may prevent against problematic gambling among youth is needed. Prior research has shown that a strong school ethos, which can be defined as a set of attitudes and values pervading at a school, is associated with a lower inclination among students to engage in various risk behaviours. Knowledge about the link between school ethos and adolescent gambling is however scarce. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between teacher-rated school ethos and student-reported gambling and risk gambling, when controlling also for sociodemographic characteristics at the student- and the school-level.

Methods

Data from two separate cross-sectional surveys were combined. The Stockholm School Survey (SSS) was performed among 5123 students (aged 17–18 years) in 46 upper secondary schools, and the Stockholm Teacher Survey (STS) was carried out among 1061 teachers in the same schools. School ethos was measured by an index based on teachers’ ratings of 12 items in the STS. Adolescent gambling and risk gambling were based on a set of single items in the SSS. Sociodemographic characteristics at the student-level were measured by student-reported information from the SSS. Information on sociodemographic characteristics at the school-level was retrieved from administrative registers. The statistical method was multilevel regression analysis. Two-level binary logistic regression models were performed.

Results

The analyses showed that higher teacher ratings of the school’s ethos were associated with a lower likelihood of gambling and risk gambling among students, when adjusting also for student- and school-level sociodemographic characteristics.

Conclusions

This study showed that school ethos was inversely associated with students’ inclination to engage in gambling and in risk gambling. In more general terms, the study provides evidence that schools’ values and norms as reflected by the teachers’ ratings of their school’s ethos have the potential to counteract unwanted behaviours among the students.