Mom, Dad It’s Only a Game! Perceived Gambling and Gaming Behaviors among Adolescents and Young Adults: an Exploratory Study

Gambling and gaming are increasingly popular activities among adolescents. Although gambling is illegal in Portugal for youth under the age of 18 years, gambling opportunities are growing, mainly due to similarity between gambling and other technology-based games. Given the relationship between gambling and gaming activities, the paucity of research on gambling and gaming behaviors in Portugal, and the potential negative consequences in the lives of young people, the goal of this study was to explore and compare the perceptions of these two behaviors between Portuguese adolescents and young adults. Results from six focus groups (three with adolescents and three with young adults, comprising 37 participants aged between 13 and 26 years) indicated different perceptions for the two age groups. For adolescents, gaming was associated with addiction whereas for young adults it was perceived a tool for increasing personal and social skills. With regard to gambling, adolescents associated it with luck and financial rewards, whereas young adults perceived it as an activity with more risks than benefits. These results suggest developmental differences that have implications for intervention programs and future research

Problem gambling worldwide: an update and systematic review of empirical research (2000–2015)

Background and aims: Problem gambling has been identified as an emergent public health issue, and there is a need to identify gambling trends and to regularly update worldwide gambling prevalence rates. This paper aims to review recent research on adult gambling and problem gambling (since 2000) and then, in the context of a growing liberalization of the gambling market in the European Union, intends to provide a more detailed analysis of adult gambling behavior across European countries. Methods: A systematic literature search was carried out using academic databases, Internet, and governmental websites. Results: Following this search and utilizing exclusion criteria, 69 studies on adult gambling prevalence were identified. These studies demonstrated that there are wide variations in past-year problem gambling rates across different countries in the world (0.12–5.8%) and in Europe (0.12– .4%). However, it is difficult to directly compare studies due to different methodological procedures, instruments, cut-offs, and time frames. Despite the variability among instruments, some consistent results with regard to demographics were found. Discussion and conclusion: The findings highlight the need for continuous monitoring of problem gambling prevalence rates in order to examine the influence of cultural context on gambling patterns, assess the effectiveness of policies on gambling-related harms, and establish priorities for future research

Application of the SAFT-γ Mie group contribution equation of state to fluids of relevance to the oil and gas industry

Calculated data for all the figures presented in publication

Problemas Ginecológicos em Adolescentes com Patologia Neurológica

Introdução: A contracepção e os problemas ginecológicos em adolescentes com patologia neurológica tem uma abordagem geral comum ao grupo etário. Contudo, algumas patologias como a epilepsia e o défice cognitivo (DC) profundo determinam necessidades e desafios adicionais emalguns casos. Objectivos: Caracterizar as necessidades e os problemas ginecológicos e respectivas opções terapêuticas em dois grupos de adolescentes com doença neurológica, com e sem DC. População e Métodos: Revisão casuística das adolescentes referenciadas da Consulta de Neuropediatria para a Consulta de Ginecologia de um hospital materno-infantil entre Janeiro de 1998 e Maio de 2007. Resultados: Foram identificadas 57 referenciações de adolescentes,37 com défice cognitivo (65%) e 20 sem défice cognitivo (DC). O DC foi classificado como “limiar” (1),ligeiro (7), moderado (8) ou grave/profundo (21). O segundo diagnóstico mais frequente foi a epilepsia (54% no grupo com DC e 60% no grupo sem DC). A contracepção foi motivo de consulta em 65% dos casos de cada grupo. Em doze adolescentes, foi utilizado o implante hormonal subcutâneo(10 com DC), e dez iniciaram contracepção oral (4 com DC). Não houve diferenças na opção por método hormonal em função da existência ou não de epilepsia (p=0,54). A dismenorreia foi a queixa ginecológica mais frequente em ambos os grupos (N=12). Seis adolescentes com DC profundo foram esterilizadas por necessidade de contracepção e/ou dismenorreia intensa, menorragia ou dificuldades com a higiene menstrual, incluindo quatro laqueações tubárias laparoscópicas, duas histerectomias supracervicais e duas histerectomias totais. Conclusões: A epilepsia não impede a contracepção hormonal em grande parte dos casos. O implante subcutâneo ultrapassa a dificuldade na adesão à contracepção oral em jovens com DC. Existem questões éticas e legais associadas à esterilização de adolescentes com DC profundo

Prevalence of adolescent problem gambling: a systematic review of recent research

Previous research has shown that gambling is a popular activity among adolescents. Following a rapid expansion of legalized gambling opportunities and the emergence of new forms of gambling, many researchers have carried out studies on adolescent gambling and problem gambling. The present paper reviews studies that have been conducted worldwide since 2000, and then presents a more detailed picture of adolescent gambling research in Europe, by providing a country-by country analysis. After an extensive search on academic databases and following an exclusion process, 44 studies were identified. The findings showed that 0.2–12.3% of youth meet criteria for problem gambling, notwithstanding differences among assessment instruments, cut-offs, and timeframes. However, despite this variability, several demographic characteristics were associated with adolescent gambling involvement and problem gambling. It is concluded that a small but significant minority of adolescents have gambling-related problems. Such findings will hopefully encourage more research into youth gambling to further understand the determinants of this phenomenon

Validation of the Portuguese DSM-IV-MR-J

Youth problem gambling is viewed as an emergent public health issue in many countries, and is also an emerging area of public concern in Portugal. However, there is currently no Portuguese instrument that focuses specifically on the measurement of problem gambling among young people. Consequently, the present study aimed to validate the DSM-IV-MR-J for use among Portuguese adolescents and to examine its’ psychometric properties. A cross-cultural adaption of this instrument to the Portuguese language was performed using the translation and back translation method. The final version of the instrument was administered to 753 Portuguese high school and first year college students. The findings revealed an acceptable internal reliability and replicated the one-factor structure of this scale. Based on these findings, the Portuguese DSMIV-MR-J appears to be a valid and reliable instrument, and provides a much needed psychometric tool for the development of more research on youth gambling in Portugal

Gambling among adolescents and emerging adults: a cross-cultural study between Portuguese and English youth

In spite of age prohibitions, most research suggests that a large proportion of adolescents engage in gambling, with problem gambling prevalence rates significantly higher than in adults. There is some evidence suggesting that there are cultural variables that might explain the development of gambling behaviours in this age group. However, cross-cultural studies on this field are generally lacking. The present study tested a model in which individual and family variables are integrated into a single perspective as predictors of youth gambling behaviour in two different contexts (i.e. Portugal and England). A total of 1137 adolescents and young adults (552 Portuguese and 585 English) were surveyed with items relating to problem gambling, gambling frequency, sensation seeking, parental attachment, and cognitive distortions. Moreover, this study is the first to examine the mediation effect of sensation seeking between attachment and youth problem gambling. Results demonstrated that English youth showed a higher prevalence of problem gambling. The findings of this study also demonstrated that sensation seeking was a common predictor, mediating the relationship between attachment and problem gambling in both countries. The findings of this study suggest that although there were some common factors between the two samples, youth problem gambling and some risk factors can be influenced by the cultural context

A Cultura do MIlho

O milho (Zea mays L.) é uma espécie que pertence à família Gramineae/Poaceae, com origem no teosinto, Zea mays, subespécie mexicana (Zea mays ssp. mexicana (Schrader) Iltis, há mais de 8000 anos e que é cultivada em muitas partes do Mundo (Estados Unidos da América, República Popular da China, Índia, Brasil, França, Indonésia, África do Sul, etc.). A sua grande adaptabilidade, representada por variados genótipos, permite o seu cultivo desde o Equador até ao limite das terras temperadas e desde o nível do mar até altitudes superiores a 3600 metros, encontrando-se, assim, em climas tropicais, subtropicais e temperados. Esta planta tem como finalidade de utilização a alimentação humana e animal, devido às suas elevadas qualidades nutricionais, contendo quase todos os aminoácidos conhecidos, com excepção da lisina e do triptofano. No contexto agrícola português, o milho é uma das culturas arvenses mais importante, sendo a que mais explorações agrícolas envolve e segundo a Associação Nacional de Produtores de Milho e Sorgo desde 2006 tem ocupado uma área entre 130 a 150 mil hectares em todo o país. A área destinada à cultura pode aumentar, em consequência do acréscimo da área de regadio e, para a qual, contribuirá o projeto de Alqueva (Alentejo), tendo esta região de Portugal um grande potencial por explorar e, dependendo dos preços e políticas do mercado europeu e mundial, pode contribuir para um acréscimo na produção nacional, capaz de reduzir o volume das importações deste cereal. Atualmente, apesar do milho ser o cereal mais produzido em Portugal, o que se produz cobre pouco mais de 32 % das necessidades do mercado interno (Anuário Agrícola). O milho é uma cultura associada quer à produção de silagem a qual é de excelente qualidade, quer à produção de grão, afirmando-se atualmente como uma cultura com enorme potencialidade produtiva da agricultura portuguesa de regadio, tendo um contibuto importante para a vitalidade das economias regionais e nacional. A introdução de novas variedades melhor adaptadas às nossas condições edafo-climáticas, bem como práticas culturais mais adequadas (adubações, tratamentos fitossanitários, etc.) têm conduzido a um aumento significativo da produtividade da cultura no nosso país, estando os indicadores de produtividade entre os melhores a nível mundial

Youth gambling: the role of individual and family factors in youth problem gambling

Research has shown that youth engage in gambling, and for a small minority gambling can become problematic with severe negative consequences (Calado, Alexandre & Griffiths, 2017a). Youth problem gambling is associated with several different factors, but little is known how these factors might influence or interact with each other in predicting this behavior. Moreover, although research on youth gambling had been conducted in many countries, there is still a paucity of research on this phenomenon in Portugal. Therefore, the unique contribution to knowledge of this PhD is (i) the exploration of gambling perceptions among 46 Portuguese adolescents and young adults in an attempt to obtain preliminary insights of youth gambling in this particular context; (ii) the validation of a widely used gambling instrument, the DSM-IV-J-MR into the Portuguese language; (iii) the testing of two theoretical models for predicting youth problem gambling comprising individual and family variables that have received little attention in the literature in a sample of English students, and in a sample of Portuguese and English students respectively; and (iv) the designing of a youth prevention program based on the findings from previous studies, and the delivering of this intervention among a sample of Portuguese high-school students. A mixed methods approach was taken throughout the thesis used in the form of focus groups, psychometric testing, survey, and an intervention. Data were analysed using a variety of methodological techniques including thematic analysis, mixed ANOVAs, and structural equation modelling. The results of the empirical studies indicate that (i) adolescents perceived gambling as an activity with positive outcomes, such as more entertainment, and a better life due to the money they win with this activity; (ii) the Portuguese version of the DSM-IV-MR-J showed acceptable psychometric properties and replicated the one-factor structure of the original scale; (iii) attachment is not directly associated with youth problem gambling, but has an indirect association with this variable via coping and sensation seeking; and (iv) the intervention was efficacious in improving knowledge and gambling-related misconceptions and reduced problematic gambling. Overall, this thesis contributes to a further understanding of youth problem gambling, and support the contention that gambling is a multidimensional phenomenon, in which individual and family variables should be taken into account