The rise of online sports betting, its fallout, and the onset of a new profile in gambling disorder: young people

Online Gambling Patterns and Predictors of Problem Gambling Among Korean Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-sectional Study

PURPOSE

This study examined online gambling patterns among Korean adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic and identified predictors of problem gambling based on a socio-ecological model.

METHODS

It used nationally representative data from the 2020 National Survey on Youth Gambling Problems conducted by the Korea Center on Gambling Problems. This study selected a sample of 780 adolescents aged 13-18 years who reported having gambled online at least once in the last three months from the raw data of respondents. They were classified as the non-problem group and problem group according to the Gambling Problems Severity Scale (GPSS) of the Canadian Adolescent Gambling Inventory (CAGI). The predictive factors of problem gambling were analyzed by logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

The prevalence of problem gambling was 24.6 %. Its predictors included intrapersonal [male (odds ratios, OR = 1.67); gambling prior to COVID-19 (OR = 2.08)] and interpersonal factors [frequent gamblers in peers (OR = 4.34); peer pressure (OR = 2.34)]. Social factors, such as gambling in online community (OR = 5.60), sports betting (OR = 53.24), and lotteries (OR = 17.03) were associated with problem gambling.

CONCLUSIONS

The major predictors of problem gambling among adolescent online gamblers included peer gambling and specific types of gambling. To prevent problem gambling, strategies targeting peer groups are essential. In addition, nurses need to share with families, schools, communities, and policymakers that online gambling, such as lotteries and sports betting, are high-risk of adolescent problem gambling, and recommend them to collaborate for stricter regulatory measures.

Relationships Between Impulsivity, Methamphetamine use Disorder and Gambling Disorder

Methamphetamine use disorder (MAUD) and gambling disorder (GD) frequently co-occur. Individuals with both conditions are typically more difficult to treat than those with either disorder alone. This study aimed to investigate the co-occurrence and clinical characteristics of people with MAUD and GD. Between March 2018 and August 2020, 350 men with methamphetamine use entering a compulsory drug rehabilitation center in Changsha, Hunan Province received semi-structured interviews. Participants completed the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 and provided information on childhood upbringings and drug use characteristics. Independent sample t-tests compared differences between individuals with MAUD and with and without co-occurring GD. Dichotomous logistic regression was used to statistically predict co-occurring GD. The prevalence of GD was 45.1%. Most individuals (39.1% overall) had post-onset methamphetamine use (PoMAU-GD). The number of MAUD symptoms, history of gambling by family members, age of first sexual activity, and non-planning impulsivity statistically predicted PoMAU-GD, jointly explaining 24.0% of the total variance. The regression model fit well (HLχ2 = 5.503, p = 0.70), in which the specificity was 0.80, the sensitivity was 0.64, and the area under the curve was 0.79 (95%CI: 0.75-0.84). This study clarifies the prevalence of and potential risk factors for GD among individuals engaging in compulsory MAUD treatment in China. The high prevalence and associated clinical features of GD in the MAUD group highlight the importance of screening for GD in this population and intervening accordingly.

Prevalence of problematic Internet use and problematic gaming in Spanish adolescents

Epidemiological studies on problematic Internet use and problematic gaming conducted so far have mainly been carried out with unrepresentative and self-selected convenience samples, resulting in unreliable prevalence rates. This study estimates the prevalence of problematic Internet use and problematic gaming in a large sample of Spanish adolescents (N = 41,507) and identifies risk and protective factors for these risky behaviours. Data were collected online using the Adolescent Problem Internet Use Scale and the Adolescent Gaming Addiction Scale. Using a cut-off approach with measurement instruments inspired by the DSM-5 framework, we found a prevalence of 33% for problematic Internet use and 3.1% for problematic gaming. With a more conservative approach inspired by the ICD-11 framework, prevalence rates decreased to 2.98% for problematic Internet use and 1.8% for problematic gaming. Female gender, higher parents' education, elevated Internet connection time, reporting being online after midnight and using the mobile phone in class predicted problematic Internet use; whereas male gender, "living situation" where families do not have a traditional structure or stable environment, elevated Internet connection time and reporting using the mobile phone in class predicted problematic gaming. A cut-off approach involving scales that recycle substance use criteria (as in the DSM-5) over-pathologize Internet use and gaming behaviours. In contrast, the ICD-11 approach seems to provide more realistic and reliable prevalence rates.

Clinical Correlates of Sports Betting: A Systematic Review

Sports betting is becoming increasingly widespread, and a growing number of individuals, both adolescents and adults, participate in this type of gambling. The main aim of this systematic review was to assess correlates of sports betting (sociodemographic features, gambling-related variables, co-occurring psychopathologies, and personality tendencies) through a systematic review conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Relevant studies were identified via searches of NCBI/PubMed and APA PsycInfo databases. Individuals from the general population and/or with a clinical diagnosis of gambling disorder (GD) were included, irrespective of gender and age. In addition, the studies needed to have administered at least one clinical interview/psychometric instrument to assess the presence of problematic gambling/GD, contain at least one group of participants with sports betting, and directly analyze the association between sports betting and any of the following features: sociodemographics, gambling-related variables, co-occurring psychopathologies, and/or personality tendencies. Fifty-four articles were included. Multiple sociodemographic variables have been studied in relation to sports betting. In general, males with high impulsivity have greater tendencies for sports betting. The co-occurrence of certain pathologies, especially substance use or other addictive disorders, was also suggested. Most studies were cross-sectional, assessed participants using self-administered instruments, recruited samples using non-probability online panels, included small samples, had unbalanced samples, and included samples from only one country. Impulsive males may be particularly prone to sports gambling and related problems. Future research should examine prevention strategies that may help prevent the development of sport-betting-related GD and other addictive behaviors in vulnerable individuals.

Internet addiction in young adults: The role of impulsivity and codependency

Excessive Internet use has demonstrated comorbidity with other psychological symptoms and psychiatric disorders, as well as impairments in the management of daily life, relationships and emotional stability. Recent findings in the literature have consistently supported the relationship between impulsivity and Internet addiction. The present study hypothesized that, in addition to impulsivity, a further predictor of Internet addiction might be relational co-dependency, which is also associated in the literature with addiction phenomena, but mainly substance addiction. This paper investigates the role and predictive weight of impulsivity and codependency on Internet addiction on a sample of young adult university students (n = 481) by using a hierarchical regression analysis. The participants were administered the UADI-2, the BIS-11 and the SFCDS. In terms of percentage distribution, 38 % of the participants were in the dependency range, while 37.7 % demonstrated Internet abuse behavior. The results confirmed the role of impulsiveness (β = 0.312) and added to the literature by showing the significant role of relational codependency (β = 0.275), gender (β = 0.174) and age (β = 0.196). Thus, male participants were more dependent, more impulsive and more co-dependent, with increasing age in the given range (18-30). The present study shed light to the presence of this issue among young adults and that, as a preventive and restraining measure, there is a need not only for targeted awareness-raising programmes but also for interventions to promote greater emotional control and a more balanced management of personal relationships.