How do impulsivity traits influence problem gambling through gambling motives? The role of perceived gambling risk/benefits.

Although substantial research suggests that motivations have been found to mediate the relationships between impulsivity traits and various forms of substance use, no studies have examined how gambling motives may mediate the relationships between impulsivity traits and problem gambling. The primary purpose of this study was to test an integrative model linking impulsivity traits and gambling problems, evaluating the mediating effects of gambling motives. Participants were 594 students (73% male; mean age =19.92; SD=2.91) enrolled in public high schools or universities. Young people who tend to act rashly in response to extremely positive moods, showed higher enhancement and coping motives, which in turn were positively related to gambling problems. Individuals with higher levels of sensation seeking were more likely to have higher levels of enhancement motives, which in turn were also positively related to gambling problems. The model was examined in several groups, separately for the level of perceived gambling risk/benefits (lower perceived gambling risk, higher perceived gambling risk, lower perceived gambling benefits, and higher perceived gambling benefits). There were significant differences between these groups for this division. These findings suggest that prevention and/or treatment strategies might want to consider the model’s variables, including impulsivity traits and gambling motives, in accordance with individual levels of perceived gambling risk/benefits

New strategies to study organizations working with people experiencing homelessness: the service providers’ study

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Attachment and problematic Facebook use in adolescents: the mediating role of metacognitions

Background and aims: Recent research used attachment theory and the metacognitive tenet as frameworks to explain problematic Facebook use (PFU). This study aims to test, in a single model, the role of different attachment styles and metacognitions in PFU among adolescents. Methods: Two separate studies were conducted in order to establish the link between security (Study 1) and insecurity (Study 2), metacognitions, and PFU. A total of 369 and 442 Italian adolescents (age: 14–20 years old) participated in Study 1 and Study 2, respectively. Results: Path analyses revealed the relative importance of different attachment dimensions with mother and father in predicting PFU and the mediating role of metacognitions between attachment styles and PFU. Discussion and conclusion: In conclusion, since attachment styles and PFU may significantly affect adolescents’ development and well-being, the results of this study may provide some practical indications for researchers and practitioners

Factorial validity of the Problematic Facebook Use Scale for adolescents and young adults

Recent research on problematic Facebook use has highlighted the need to develop a specific theory-driven measure to assess this potential behavioral addiction. The aim of the present study was to examine the factorial validity of the Problematic Facebook Use Scale (PFUS) adapted from Caplan’s Generalized Problematic Internet Scale model. Methods A total of 1,460 Italian adolescents and young adults (aged 14–29 years) participated in the study. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed in order to assess the factorial validity of the scale. Results Results revealed that the factor structure of the PFUS provided a good fit to the data. Furthermore, results of the multiple group analyses supported the invariance of the model across age and gender groups. Discussion and conclusions This study provides evidence supporting the factorial validity of the PFUS. This new scale provides a theory-driven tool to assess problematic use of Facebook among male and female adolescents and young adults

Assessing the effect of broadleaf woodland expansion on acidic dry deposition and streamwater acidification

The study aim was to determine whether enhanced dry deposition of acidic atmospheric pollutants by broadleaf woodland expansion could increase the potential for acidification of surface waters in acid-sensitive areas. Dry sulphur (S) and nitrogen (N) deposition was modelled with the Fine Resolution Atmospheric Multi-pollutant Exchange (FRAME) model using a roughness length value calculated specifically for birchwoods. Two scenarios were investigated for an acid-sensitive area in Scotland where broadleaf woodland expansion, mainly as birchwood, is occurring: (1) 2002 emissions and broadleaf woodland cover of 5.6%; (2) 2020 projected emissions and broadleaf cover of 29%. The roughness length calculated for birch with Raupach's simplified drag-partition model was 0.73 m, lower than the value of 1.0 m for conifers which is the default for forest land cover in FRAME. Modelled dry S and N deposition increased between 2002 and 2020 from 8.7 to 29 x 10(-3) keq ha(-1) year(-1) of H(+). However, modelled total dry and wet non-marine S and N deposition decreased during the same period from 1070 to 682 x 10(-3) keq ha(-1) year(-1) of H(+) due to the lower projected emissions in 2020 and the dominance of wet deposition in the remote and upland study area (mean annual rainfall 2275 mm). The modelled total non-marine S and N deposition was used to calculate streamwater critical loads exceedance with the First-order Acidity Balance (FAB) model for five catchments in the study area. The modelled deposition for both the 2002 and 2020 scenarios was less than the calculated streamwater critical loads so the catchments were not considered at risk of streamwater acidification under the projected future emissions and increased broadleaf woodland cover. Nevertheless, broadleaf expansion could pose a greater risk of acidification in acid-sensitive areas with lower rainfall, closer to pollutant sources, where dry deposition accounts for a higher proportion of total S and N deposition. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Emotion regulation and desire thinking as predictors of problematic Facebook use

Background: Research evidence suggests that problematic Facebook use (PFU) affects large numbers of people worldwide. A variety of studies have investigated the relationship between PFU and psychological dysfunction, revealing that negative mood and cognitive self-regulation are common among problematic Facebook users. Aim: The aim of the present study was to examine the role of craving, emotion regulation and desire thinking in predicting PFU. Methods: An online survey was administered to 750 participants (males = 82%; Mage = 23.38 years; SDage = 5.72). Correlation analyses were conducted in order to test the associations between emotion regulation, craving, desire thinking and PFU. A path analysis was run to model the inter-relationships between the variables based on previous research findings. Results: Correlation analyses indicated that all predictor variables were positively associated with PFU. Path analysis showed that imaginal prefiguration was associated with craving, which, in turn, was associated with verbal prefiguration that was directly linked to PFU, beyond the direct effect of emotion regulation. Conclusions: These findings provide further support for the importance of desire thinking in predicting problematic behaviours. Desire thinking and emotion regulation should be considered in the modification of problematic Facebook use

Cross-national differences in risk preference and individual deprivation: a large-scale empirical study

Although risk-taking has been found to be associated with economic deprivation, there is little evidence on whether the relation between individual deprivation and propensity for risk-taking is inherent to all individuals, or varies across cultural contexts. Consequently, the present study investigated the interaction effects of macroeconomic factors [Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita and Human Development Index (HDI)] in the relationship between individual deprivation and propensity for risk-taking using the World Values Survey data from 58 countries (N = 87,223). On average, individuals in more developed countries (higher HDI) had less propensity for risk-taking. In contradiction to this, the positive association between individual deprivation and risk-taking was stronger in countries with higher GDP per capita. The present study suggests that the association between individual deprivation and propensity for risk-taking varies with environmental variables assessing the socio-economic development of a country

Social anxiety and Internet gaming disorder: The role of motives and metacognitions

AbstractBackground and aimsIn recent years, Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) has been recognized as a mental health problem. Although research has found that social anxiety, motives, the preference for online social interactions (POSI), and metacognitions about online gaming are independent predictors of IGD, less is known about their relative contribution to IGD. The aim of the current study was to model the relationship between social anxiety, motives, POSI, metacognitions about online gaming, and IGD.MethodsFive hundred and forty three Italian gamers who play more than 7 h a week (mean age = 23.9 years; SD = 6.15 years; 82.5% males) were included in the study. The pattern of relationships specified by the theoretical model was examined through path analysis.ResultsResults showed that social anxiety was directly associated with four motives (escape, coping, fantasy, and recreation), POSI, and positive and negative metacognitions about online gaming, and IGD. The Sobel test showed that negative metacognitions about online gaming played the strongest mediating role in the relationship between social anxiety and IGD followed by escape, POSI, and positive metacognitions. The model accounted for 54% of the variance for IGD.Discussion and conclusionsOverall, our findings show that, along with motives and POSI, metacognitions about online gaming may play an important role in the association between social anxiety and IGD. The clinical and preventive implications of these findings are discussed