AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE INDIVIDUAL AND CONTEXTUAL FACTORS IN ADOLESCENT GAMBLING

Youth problem gambling has become an emerging public health issue in many countries. Disordered gambling is a multidimensional condition involving bio-psycho-social determinants including psychological processes, individual personality characteristics, social and familial influences, and environmental stressors. Studies based on this multidimensional assumption are still limited. For instance, some limitations of the current gambling literature are that: (i) there is relatively little research on modifiable adolescent behavioural and social environmental factors contributing to the development of problem gambling (Scholes-Balog, Hemphill, Dowling, & Toumbourou, 2014); (ii) few studies have investigated the mediation effects of environment on person-gambling relationship and vice versa (Ariyabuddhiphongs, 2013); (iii) although impulsivity has been consistently associated with gambling, the psychological mechanisms by which impulsivity might influence gambling disorder are not clearly understood (Kraplin et al., 2014). According to the conceptual framework for the development of gambling in youth (Barnes, Welte, Hoffman, & Dintcheff, 1999) and the conceptual framework of harmful gambling (Abbot et al., 2013), the current research project aimed to address this gap in the literature by focusing on the interaction between socio demographic-, individual/psychological-, socialization-, and contextual-factors in determining problem gambling in adolescents and young adults. Study 1: The first study investigated the role of socioeconomic indicators of the welfare state and family practices in explaining probable problem gambling during adolescence. A multilevel model was used to evaluate the impact of the parenting (regulation, caring and monitoring/knowledge: individual-level) and country (GDP, expenditure on public health, family/children benefits: country-level) influences on adolescent possible problem gambling in a representative sample of students living in nine European countries. Data were drawn from the 2011 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) Study (n = 29952; 53% girls; 16-year-old students). Students who perceived more parental monitoring/knowledge and caring reported less involvement in possible problem gambling. Moreover, students who perceived stronger parental regulation were more likely to be possible problematic gamblers. At the country level, expenditure on public health was negatively associated with possible problem gambling. Study 2: Among parenting practices influencing adolescent gambling in the first study, the second study focused on the protective effect that parents who are knowledgeable about youth activities could have in preventing or hindering youth gambling, with the aim of elucidating some of the pathways responsible for this association. Data were drawn from the ESPAD®Italia2012 (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs) study which is based on a nationally representative sample (n = 19573; 54% girls; age, M = 17.11 years, SD = 1.43). In study 2, a path analysis was used to test an integrative model linking parental knowledge about their offspring's whereabouts with adolescent gambling, while evaluating the mediating effects of gambling-oriented attitudes (adolescents' own gambling approval; risk-perception of gambling; and descriptive norms on gambling shared with friends). Results showed that adolescents who perceived higher levels of parental knowledge were more likely to disapprove of gambling and had higher awareness of its harmfulness, which in turn were negatively related to gambling frequency. They were also less likely to perceive their friends as gamblers, which in turn was also negatively related to gambling frequency. Studies 3-4: The third and fourth study investigated how gambling oriented attitudes (e.g., risk and benefits perception of gambling) and decision-making processes may explain gambling outcomes by studying the psychological mechanisms that underlie the influence of impulsivity on problem gambling. Although impulsivity traits have been linked to problem gambling, less is known about psychological mechanisms that explain the relationships between impulsivity traits and problem gambling. The purposes of Studies 3-4 were to examine a theoretical model linking impulsivity traits and gambling problems taking into account the role of gambling motives (study 3) and decision-making processes (study 4). Participants comprised students enrolled in public high schools or universities. In Study 3 (n = 594; 73% male; mean age = 19.92 years; SD = 2.91), young people who tend to act rashly in response to extremely positive emotions showed higher coping and enhancement motives, which in turn were positively related to gambling problems. In addition, sensation seekers were more likely to have higher levels of enhancement motives, which in turn were also positively associated with gambling problems. Specific associations between impulsivity traits, gambling motives and gambling problems were significant only in young people who perceived lower risks and higher benefits of gambling. In Study 4 (n = 986; 64% male; mean age = 19.51 years; SD = 2.30), young people who tend to act rashly in response to extreme moods were more likely to have lower levels of deliberative decision-making and higher preferences for immediate/small rewards, which in turn were positively related to gambling problems. In conclusion, taken together, the findings of the four studies suggest that gambling frequency and gambling problems are the outcome of both personal and contextual characteristics (Lussier, Derevensky, Gupta, & Vitaro, 2014). Consistent with the conceptual framework for the development of gambling in youth (Barnes et al., 1999) and the conceptual framework of harmful gambling (Abbot et al., 2013), these results may be regarded as an original example of how individual characteristics and social context may interact to affect individual behaviour. These results might also have important implications for gambling prevention programs and future social welfare policies

Adolescent Gambling-Oriented Attitudes Mediate the Relationship Between Perceived Parental Knowledge and Adolescent Gambling: Implications for Prevention

Although substantial research has provided support for the association between parental practices and adolescent gambling, less is known about the role of adolescent attitudes in this relationship. The primary purpose of this study was to test an integrative model linking perceived parental knowledge (children’s perceptions of their parents’ knowledge of their whereabouts and companions) with adolescent gambling while evaluating the mediating effects of adolescents’ own gambling approval, risk perception of gambling, and descriptive norms on gambling shared with friends. The data were drawn from the ESPAD® Italia 2012 (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs) study, which is based on a nationally representative sample of Italian adolescent students aged 15–19. The analysis was carried out on a subsample of 19,573 subjects (average age 17.11, 54 % girls). Self-completed questionnaires were administered in the classroom setting. The results revealed that adolescents who perceived higher levels of parental knowledge were more likely to disapprove of gambling and show higher awareness of its harmfulness, which were in turn negatively related to gambling frequency. They were also less likely to perceive their friends as gamblers, which was also negatively related to gambling frequency. These findings suggest that gambling prevention efforts should consider perceived parental knowledge and gambling-oriented attitudes (self-approval, risk perception, and descriptive norms) as factors that may buffer adolescent gambling behavior in various situations

Emotionally laden impulsivity interacts with affect in predicting addictive use of online sexual activity in men

Abstract The interest in studying addictive use of online sexual activities (OSA) has grown sharply over the last decade. Despite the burgeoning number of studies conceptualizing the excessive use of OSA as an addictive disorder, few have tested its relations to impulsivity, which is known to constitute a hallmark of addictive behaviors. To address this missing gap in the literature, we tested the relationships between addictive OSA use, impulsivity traits, and affect among a convenience sample of men ( N = 182; age, M = 29.17, SD = 9.34), building upon a theoretically driven model that distinguishes the various facets of impulsivity. Results showed that negative urgency (an impulsivity trait reflecting the tendency to act rashly in negative emotional states) and negative affect interact in predicting addictive OSA use. These results highlight the pivotal role played by negative urgency and negative affect in addictive OSA use, supporting the relevance of psychological interventions that focus on improving emotional regulation (e.g., to reduce negative affect and learn healthier coping strategies) to mitigate excessive use of OSA

Predicting social media addiction fromInstagram profiles: A data mining approach

In this short paper, we describe an application of data mining techniques to predict Instagram users’ addiction from a set of features related to (i) Instagram captions extracted from photos, videos, comments, and stories, and Instagram indicators such as number of followers and following, blocked and closed friends, and frequency of use. We first applied text mining to explore and describe the main contents of Instagram captions. Next, we used a set of non parametric models and ensemble methods to predict Instagram addiction as measured by the Instagram addiction scale [1]. Models were compared via cross-validation using test and training (random) sets from the original dataset. Results showed that Instagram addiction is mainly predicted by the overall time spent on Instagram, writing stories and comments, and number of followers. Moreover, the results suggest that Instagram users made use of photos/videos and stories/comments differently, with the latter being mostly related to emoticons, experiences, and relationships with other users

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

Emotion-related impulsivity moderates the cognitive interference effect of smartphone availability on working memory

Although recent studies suggest that the mere presence of a smartphone might negatively impact on working memory capacity, fluid intelligence, and attentional processes, less is known about the individual differences that are liable to moderate this cognitive interference effect. This study tested whether individual differences in emotion-related impulsivity traits (positive urgency and negative urgency) moderate the effect of smartphone availability on cognitive performance. We designed an experiment in which 132 college students (age 18–25 years) completed a laboratory task that assessed visual working memory capacity in three different conditions: two conditions differing in terms of smartphone availability (smartphone turned off and visible, smartphone in silent mode and visible) and a condition in which the smartphone was not available and was replaced by a calculator (control condition). Participants also completed self-reports that assessed their thoughts after the task performance, positive/negative urgency, and problematic smartphone use. The results showed that participants with higher positive urgency presented increased cognitive interference (reflected by poorer task performance) in the “silent-mode smartphone” condition compared with participants in the “turned-off smartphone” condition. The present study provides new insights into the psychological factors that explain how smartphone availability is liable to interfere with high-level cognitive processes

sad music depresses sad adolescents a listener s profile

This research explored both social context and personal characteristics in relation to being saddened by sad music when in a sad mood. Overall, 1686 respondents (aged 12–16 years; 44% female; 68% v..

Validation of the 8-item Attitudes Towards Gambling Scale (ATGS-8) in a British population survey

Introduction. Public opinions concerning gambling are an important factor in shaping public policy. Little empirical attention has been given to assessing gambling attitudes within the general population. The aim of the present study is to validate the 8-item Attitudes Towards Gambling Scale (ATGS-8) in British individuals and to investigate associations of these attitudes with frequency of gambling and gambling problems. Methods. Data were derived from 7746 individuals participating in the British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2010, a comprehensive interview-based survey conducted in Great Britain between November 2009 and May 2010. Confirmatory factor analysis and separate regression analyses were applied. Results. The one-dimensional structure of the ATGS-8 was confirmed in the community sample and by gender. Furthermore, more positive attitudes towards gambling were positively related to frequency of gambling and gambling problems. Conclusions. The present study extends the previous evaluations of the scale by providing detailed evidence for the utility and usefulness of the ATGS-8 in a community sample and across gender. The ATGS-8 is a valid instrument to assess public opinion on gambling among the general population

Problematic online sexual activities in men: The role of self‐esteem, loneliness, and social anxiety

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A test of the pathway model of problematic smartphone use.

Problematic smartphone use (PSU) has been described as a growing public health issue. In the current study, we aimed to provide a unique and comprehensive test of the pathway model of PSU. This model posits three distinct developmental pathways leading to PSU: (1) the excessive reassurance pathway, (2) the impulsive pathway and (3) the extraversion pathway. Undergraduate students (n = 795, 69.8% female, mean age = 23.80 years, sd = 3.02) completed online self-report measures of PSU (addictive use, antisocial use and dangerous use) and the psychological features (personality traits and psychopathological symptoms) underlying the three pathways. Bayesian analyses revealed that addictive use is mainly driven by the excessive reassurance pathway and the impulsive pathway, for which candidate etiopathological factors include heightened negative urgency, a hyperactive behavioural inhibition system and symptoms of social anxiety. Dangerous and antisocial use are mainly driven by the impulsive pathway and the extraversion pathway, for which candidate etiopathological factors include specific impulsivity components (lack of premeditation and sensation seeking) and primary psychopathy (inclination to lie, lack of remorse, callousness and manipulativeness). The present study constitutes the first comprehensive test of the pathway model of PSU. We provide robust and original results regarding the psychological dimensions associated with each of the postulated pathways of PSU, which should be taken into account when considering regulation of smartphone use or tailoring prevention protocols to reduce problematic usage patterns