Predictors of excessive use of social media and excessive online gaming in Czech teenagers

Background and aims Young people’s involvement in online gaming and the use of social media are increasing rapidly, resulting in a high number of excessive Internet users in recent years. The objective of this paper is to analyze the situation of excessive Internet use among adolescents in the Czech Republic and to reveal determinants of excessive use of social media and excessive online gaming. Methods Data from secondary school students (N = 4,887) were collected within the 2015 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs. Logistic regression models were constructed to describe the individual and familial discriminative factors and the impact of the health risk behavior of (a) excessive users of social media and (b) excessive players of online games. Results The models confirmed important gender-specific distinctions – while girls are more prone to online communication and social media use, online gaming is far more prevalent among boys. The analysis did not indicate an influence of family composition on both the excessive use of social media and on excessive online gaming, and only marginal effects for the type of school attended. We found a connection between the excessive use of social media and binge drinking and an inverse relation between excessive online gaming and daily smoking. Discussion and conclusion The non-existence of significant associations between family environment and excessive Internet use confirmed the general, widespread of this phenomenon across the social and economic strata of the teenage population, indicating a need for further studies on the topic

Problem gambling among Czech adolescents: An exploration of its relationship to early initiation of tobacco smoking

Background and aims: Gambling in adolescence is often related to licit and illicit substance use. Some evidence shows that teenage smokers gamble more than non-smokers. The aim of the study is to analyze the relationship between problem gambling and smoking among Czech adolescents. Methods: Data on 6,082 adolescents (50.1% boys and 49.9% girls) aged 15–19 years were collected a part of the ESPAD study in the Czech Republic in 2015. Logistic regression and linear regression models were used to test the hypothesis that the early onset of daily smoking increases the risk of problem gambling. Results: The age of initiation of daily smoking seems to be a more reliable marker of the risk of problem gambling than smoking status or intensity of smoking. More than 20% of smokers who started smoking daily at the age of 12 years or earlier are at risk of problem gambling, which shows a significantly increased probability compared to non-smokers (OR = 2.7). Other factors that increase the chances of becoming a problem gambler include being male, of higher age, and a student of a secondary school. Discussion and conclusions: The relationship between adolescent smoking and gambling is complex and is likely to be influenced by other underlying factors. Early daily smokers and at-risk gamblers tend in a similar way to risky behavior as a result of impulsivity. Interventions targeting early smoking and other substance-use behavior should not only aim at quitting smoking but could also include preventing smokers from developing problem gambling

The Risks of online gambling for younger males : insights from Czech national surveys

Compared to offline gambling forms, online gambling has been hypothesized to lead to a heightened risk of developing gambling pathology. Suggestions about who the risks apply to have varied. In light of the finding that online gambling and the associated financial difficulties are reported mostly by younger males, some hypotheses identify younger males as an at-risk group. An alternative possibility is that younger males simply display a trend that will emerge population-wide as online gambling proliferates. In this chapter, hypotheses about the population-wide and young-male-specific risks of online gambling are assessed using data from three nationwide Czech surveys. The hypotheses relating specifically to young men are, first, that young men are greater risk-takers who enjoy “practicing” in anonymous environments, and, second, that young men are more prone to overspending as a result of losing track of time during play.20 page(s

Cannabis decriminalization and the age of onset of cannabis use

_Background_ In the Czech Republic in 2010 a law was introduced decriminalizing personal possession of small quantities of several illicit drugs, including cannabis. _Methods_ We use 2012 survey data to examine the effect of a change in cannabis policy on the age of onset of cannabis use. We estimate the effect of the policy change using a mixed proportional hazards framework that models the transition to first cannabis use. _Results_ The change in cannabis policy did not affect the transition to first cannabis use. _Conclusion_ We find no evidence of cannabis decriminalization affecting the age of onset of cannabis use