Pathways to understanding problem gambling among adolescents Full Text
However, the proportion of online gambling games involving betting money increased from 8.2% in 2018 to 11.7% in 2020 and 25.8% in 2022, with a particularly sharp rise reported in the experience rate of online gambling games among elementary school students 4, 5. Even more serious is the trend of the age at which individuals begin gambling, with 6.5% starting at age 6 or below, 19.5% at ages 7–9, and 40.2% at ages 10–124. Adolescents are likely to lose control and exhibit impulsivity more readily than adults 1. The gambling problem manifests when they lose control over their gambling behavior, leading to excessive immersion in gambling to the extent that it interferes with daily activities and responsibilities, and causes harm 3. Individuals who engage in gambling during early adolescence are at a higher risk for gambling addiction during adulthood 6, 7. Many adolescents who become pathological gamblers become aware of the severity of the problem and begin to seek help only when they are in their 40s 8.
Through repeated engagement in gambling, individuals develop irrational cognitive schemas related to gambling, such as distorted evaluations of gambling outcomes and unrealistic perceptions of winning probabilities 10. These irrational gambling beliefs contribute to persistent gambling behavior despite repeated losses, as individuals falsely believe that a win is inevitable, even when they are aware of the low probability of such an occurrence 10. Adolescents who hold these distorted beliefs are more likely to engage in gambling and develop an intention to continue gambling in the future, which directly increases their gambling behavior 28, 29. Importantly, gambling accessibility is not limited to physical access to gambling platforms. Psychological accessibility shaped by permissive gambling environments within families and peer groups also plays a significant role in reinforcing gambling behavior 3, 18.
For example, in a survey of 17,000 adults in South Australia, it was found that 51 per cent of people aged years had gambled on gaming machines in the previous 12 months as compared with 29 per cent of year olds and 29 per cent of year olds (S.A. Department for Families and Communities, 2005). Under-aged gambling is particularly common and of concern, with around 60 per cent of young people (13-17 years) reporting gambling at least once per year (Lambos et al., 2007). Currently a large number of books, videocassettes and computer programs are available to teach people how to gamble. The paper begins by describing the number and types of materials on how to gamble available in an online catalogue and in libraries and bookstores (Study One). The paper then turns the discussion to an examination of the accurate and inaccurate information found in a sample of these materials (Study Two). The studies found that the majority of the material available was on skilled games, but a sizeable number of materials on non-skilled games were also found.
Primary prevention
You can invite your friends and family to engage in bingo, sports betting, or arcades. Gambling adds an element of competition, which enhances the thrill of certain events like sports. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of The Catholic University of Korea (MC20FISI0139). This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.
Possibly related to this phenomenon is the evidence that, compared with gains, the amount of monetary losses has limited effect on the extent to which probabilistic (and delayed) losses are discounted in humans (Estle et al., 2006). This suggests that a lower probability (and a longer delay) reduces a gambler’s motivation less when losses rather than gains are involved. In contrast, the big win hypothesis suggests that pathological gambling develops in individuals that initially experienced large monetary gains, but the attempts to demonstrate this effect on persistence of gambling have failed (Kassinove and Schare, 2001; Weatherly et al., 2004). Current evidence therefore suggests that losses contribute to motivate gambling more than gains. It is commonly believed that monetary gain is the cause of gambling behavior in humans.
This study applied a comprehensive approach by investigating the intricate interplay between ecological, psychological, and cognitive factors and problem gambling within an integrated model. This study tested a structural equation model to predict adolescent problem gambling by incorporating gambling accessibility and media exposure as ecological determinants, along with sensation-seeking and impulsivity as psychological factors, and irrational gambling beliefs as cognitive factors. These programs have focused on educating youth about the risks and benefits of gambling, and strategies to control future gambling behaviour.
Addiction models
In ongoing research, Dr Clark is measuring activity in this reward circuit as volunteers experience near-misses and choice effects during a gambling task. Recent advances in brain imaging technology are helping scientists to understand how these features of gambling games are so effective in maintaining continued play. At the Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, Dr Clark is using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure patterns of brain activity while volunteers perform a gambling game. But all this comes at a cost – for a minority of individuals, gambling is a spiralling habit that they become unable to control. Problem (or ‘pathological’) gambling is a recognised psychiatric diagnosis present in around 1% of the population. These prevalence rates are higher in local communities around gambling facilities, and clinicians are concerned that the relaxation of British legislation will increase the incidence of problem gambling in years to come.
Nevertheless, Linnet et al., (2010) were able to measure mesolimbic DA release in PG and HC winning or losing money. Unexpectedly, they found no difference in dopaminergic responses between PG and HC who won money. Dopamine release in the ventral striatum, however, was more pronounced for the losses in PG relative to HC. Given the motivational impact of mesolimbic DA, Linnet and colleagues argue that this effect could explain loss-chasing in PG. In addition, they point out that “PG are not hyperdopaminergic per se, but have increased DA susceptibility toward certain types of decisions and behavior” (p. 331). This finding that DA release is higher in PG losing money than in PG winning money is consistent with the evidence that “near misses” enhance the motivation to gamble and recruit the brain reward circuit more https://hellspinofficial.com/ than “big wins” (Kassinove and Schare, 2001; Clark et al., 2009; Chase and Clark, 2010).
Firstly, mean differences in attachment, gambling motives, positive and negative affect and the aforementioned addictive behaviours were analysed between possible problem gamblers and non-gamblers using Student’s t-test (Table 1). The results showed that female at- risk or with problematic gambling scored higher on gambling, drugs, compulsive spending, maternal attachment, and gambling motives (enhancement, social and coping motives). When analysing the effect sizes for the variables where significant differences were found, they were observed to be large for gambling, spending and enhancement motives, and medium for drugs, mother attachment, and social and coping motives.
- There are gaps in the knowledge base about gender and age differences in respect to gambling motivations.
- Some people gamble for one reason only, whereas others gamble for a variety of reasons.
- Evaluations demonstrating effective prevention initiatives can be used to argue for investment in implementation to overcome the reluctance of vested interests, including those of governments that are dependent on gambling revenue.
- Previous research has shown a reliable pattern of brain activity when humans receive monetary wins.
- These are the typologies and psychological triggers that are attributed to gambling.
Problem gamblers often interpret near-misses as evidence that they are mastering the game and that a win is on the way. Following damage to the orbitofrontal region, neurosurgical patients often show changes in their judgment and risk-taking. One patient, examined at the University of Iowa, made a series of disastrous decisions involving extravagant business ventures and dubious personal relationships after having a tumour removed from his orbitofrontal cortex. In a collaborative study with Dr Antoine Bechara at the University of Southern California, Dr Clark is measuring betting behaviour in a group of similar patients with damage in this region, using a simple gambling task.
While gamblers may seem to be primarily driven by the profit motive, the psychological evidence is overwhelming that other desires affect gambling actions. Put simply, for most gamblers, our actions contradict the desire to maximize profits. Whilst I am no Freudian, there appear to be a whole range of unconscious factors at play in gambling. For instance, if players make a successful bluff during a card game, it’s human nature to want to let people know how smart they are. The golden rule in poker is never to give anything away but the human psyche works in such a way that we usually want to show off once in a while.
Problem gambling during adolescence most likely leads to depression, self-injury, and further addictive behaviors, which ultimately ruin adolescents’ lives 3, 9. Therefore, more specific strategies should be developed to prevent problem gambling at an early developmental stage. There are limitations that should be considered when interpreting its results. Firstly, the cross-sectional and mainly correlational design of the present study does not allow establishing interpretations regarding causality and the direction of the effects. In the future, longitudinal designs are needed to achieve an in-depth understanding and shed light on the interaction between the variables under scrutiny. Secondly, self-report measures were used, which could have biased the results.
Variations in motivation are also frequently observed among people who participate in the same gambling activity. For example, slot machine players may gamble to win money, for enjoyment and excitement, to socialise and to escape negative feelings. Some people gamble for one reason only, whereas others gamble for a variety of reasons. A further complexity is that people’s motivations for gambling have a strong temporal dimension; that is, they do not remain stable over time. As people progress from social to regular and finally to excessive gambling, there are often significant changes in their reasons for gambling.
Of course, a “big win” is rare, but the random component behind most games and the publicizing of big winners lets people believe that the chance of winning a lot is not so unlikely. In this traditional view, money is a gambler’s primary motivation, and randomness in games allows the gambler to hope that the gains will overcome the losses. The absence of a unifying theory of problem gambling is reflected in the range of techniques employed in its treatment.
The project’s goals were to document the playing strategies and beliefs common to casino blackjack players, and to examine the role of experience, beliefs, and the sociocultural context in gambling decision making. It involved more than 1.5 years of ethnographic fieldwork as both a blackjack dealer and player and approximately two hundred interviews with gamblers and gambling specialists. The findings suggest that even with relatively well-constrained decision problems, such as gambles, a careful study of the decision-makers’ sociocultural context is essential to understanding the decision-making processes. Secondary prevention aims to decrease the harm experienced by individuals at higher risk and the potential for harm to others participating in gambling activities (Dickson-Gillespie et al., 2008). Other initiatives include gaming staff training, restricting access to cash for gambling, and improved awareness of, and access to, problem gambling support information and services.