A cross-sectional study of problem gambling and its correlates among college students in South India

Abstract

BackgroundIn the Western world, a significant portion of college students have gambled. College gamblers have one of the highest rates of problem gambling. To date, there have been no studies on gambling participation or the rates of problem gambling in India.AimsThis study evaluated the prevalence of gambling participation and problem gambling in college students in India. It also evaluated demographic and psychosocial correlates of gambling in that population.MethodWe surveyed 5784 college students from 58 colleges in the district of Ernakulam, Kerala, India, using cluster random sampling. Students completed questionnaires that addressed gambling, substance use, psychological distress, suicidality and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).ResultsA total of 5580 completed questionnaires were returned, and while only 1090 (19.5%) college students reported having ever gambled, 415 (7.4%) reported problem gambling. Lotteries were the most popular form of gambling. Problem gamblers in comparison with non-gamblers were significantly more likely to be male, have a part-time job, greater academic failures, higher substance use, higher psychological distress scores, higher suicidality and higher ADHD symptom scores. In comparison with non-problem gamblers, problem gamblers were significantly more likely to have greater academic failures, higher psychological distress scores, higher suicidality and higher ADHD symptom scores.ConclusionsThis study, the first to look at the prevalence of gambling in India, found relatively low rates of gambling participation in college students but high rates of problem gambling among those who did gamble. Correlates of gambling were generally similar to those noted in other countries. Since 38% of college students who had gambled had a gambling problem, there is a need for immediate public health measures to raise awareness about gambling, and to prevent and treat problem gambling in this population.Declaration of interestS.G. was (until October 2014) a member of the UK Responsible Gambling Strategy Board, and authored the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Faculty report FR/AP/01 Gambling: The Hidden Addiction – Future Trends in Addictions (2014).Copyright and usage© The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2016. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) licence.

Gambling behavior among Macau college and university students

“…University of Macau 2013a, b; Wu et al 2014a, b), this gambling participation rate is relatively low. However, the estimate of problem gambling (5.3%) is close to the rates of 6–8% reported in many western studies (Derevensky and Gupta 2007; George et al 2016; Moore et al 2013; Mubarak and Blanksby 2013; Nowak 2014). …”

“…the cases of moderate-risk and problem gambling were combined) (e.g. George et al 2016; Koross 2016; LaBrie et al 2003). More male gamblers ( n  = 63) than females ( n  = 26) scored three or more on the PGSI.…”

“…George et al 2016; Griffiths 1995; Gupta and Derevensky 1998b; Wong 2010; Wu et al 2014a, b). The correlation data confirm that early gambling is negatively correlated to problem gambling severity.…”

“…Research data indicate around 6–8 percent of these young people have a serious gambling problem worldwide (Derevensky and Gupta 2007; George et al 2016; Moore et al 2013; Mubarak and Blanksby 2013). Nowak (2014) conducted a comprehensive literature review of 72 studies involving 41,989 university students and student athletes worldwide.…”

Suizidalität bei Menschen mit pathologischem Glücksspiel

“…auch in Entwicklungsländern abzeichnet; auch die damit assoziierten Risikofaktoren sind entsprechend gleich [s. hierzu bspw. [37,38]. Es ist jedoch davon auszugehen, dass der Zusammenhang ein komplexes Wechselspiel zwischen verschiedenen Risikofaktoren darstellt, und bisherige Forschungsarbeiten sprechen dafür, dass pathologisches Glücksspiel und die Schwere der Glücksspielstörung einen eigenen Beitrag dazu leistet.…”