Loot boxes use, video gaming, and gambling in adolescents: Results from a path analysis before and during COVID-19-pandemic-related lockdown in Italy

Primi, Caterina; Sanson, Francesco; Vecchiato, Marta; Desfilis, Emilia Serra; Donati, Maria Anna

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1009129

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 82 publications

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“… 87 Adolescent males may use coping mechanisms with less potential for a hospital visit, such as avoidance or distraction with video games, 88 , 89 or reward-seeking behaviour with gambling. 90 , 91 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-harm among youth during the first 28 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada: a population-based study

Mitchell,

Toulany,

Chung

et al. 2023

CMAJ

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Background: Youth have reported worsening mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to evaluate rates of pediatric acute care visits for self-harm during the pandemic according to age, sex and mental health service use. Methods: We conducted a population-based, repeated cross-sectional study using linked health administrative data sets to measure monthly rates of emergency department visits and hospital admissions for self-harm among youth aged 10–17 years between Jan. 1, 2017, and June 30, 2022, in Ontario, Canada. We modelled expected rates of acute care visits for self-harm after the pandemic onset based on prepandemic rates. We reported relative differences between observed and expected monthly rates overall and by age group (10–13 yr and 14–17 yr), sex and mental health service use (new and continuing). Results: In this population of about 1.3 million children and adolescents, rates of acute care visits for self-harm during the pandemic were higher than expected for emergency department visits (0.27/1000 population v. 0.21/1000 population; adjusted rate ratio [RR] 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.19–1.39) and hospital admissions (0.74/10 000 population v. 0.43/10 000 population, adjusted RR 1.72, 95% CI 1.46–2.03). This increase was primarily observed among females. Rates of emergency department visits and hospital admissions for self-harm were higher than expected for both those aged 10–13 years and those aged 14–17 years, as well as for both those new to the mental health system and those already engaged in care. Interpretation: Rates of acute care visits for self-harm among children and adolescents were higher than expected during the first 2 and a half years of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among females. These findings support the need for accessible and intensive prevention efforts and mental health supports in this population.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-harm among youth during the first 28 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada: a population-based study

Mitchell,

Toulany,

Chung

et al. 2023

CMAJ

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“…Prevention strategies, such as education and parental involvement, can also be effective in reducing the prevalence of adolescent gambling addiction. Future research should also evaluate the long-term effects of the recent COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents' and young adults' mental health [50,51] and on the increased risk of developing addictive behaviors such as gambling [52].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wanna Bet? Investigating the Factors Related to Adolescent and Young Adult Gambling

Rizzo,

La Rosa,

Commodari

et al. 2023

EJIHPE

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For many adolescents and young adults, gambling can represent an attractive and exciting form of entertainment, a way to take risks and explore new experiences. However, gambling also poses a significant risk for this age group. Research suggests that adolescents and young adults are particularly vulnerable to the negative consequences of gambling, including addiction, financial difficulties, and mental health issues. This paper aims to critically examine data on adolescent and young adult gambling, focusing on the risk factors associated with gambling behavior. A total of 326 subjects (Mage = 19.01; SD =2.72), of whom 65.5% were female, completed a protocol containing a demographic sheet, the Lie/Bet Questionnaire, the Seven Domains Addiction Scale (7DAS), a subscale of the Addictive Behavior Questionnaire and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS). Specifically, we explored the impact of sociodemographic, environmental, psychological, and cognitive factors on adolescent and young adult gambling behavior. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed.

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“…One possibility is that higher user engagement for loot compared to non-loot box content is linked to the gambling-like properties of loot boxes. Loot boxes are designed to keep players involved and investing money in a game and promote greater involvement in video games (Primi et al, 2022,). Thereby, potentially harmful content is incorporated into games in order to generate revenue.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, time and money spent on loot boxes are correlated with problematic gambling behaviour and maladaptive gambling-related beliefs (Brooks & Clark, 2019). The use of loot boxes appears to influence the frequency of video gaming and gambling, and loot boxes pose a risk of developing symptoms of problem gambling by promoting greater involvement in video games (Primi et al, 2022). A recent study reports loot box use to be a strong predictor of initiating gambling behaviour (Brooks & Clark, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Loot box content is associated with increased user engagement for YouTube gaming videos

Smith,

Poth,

Sohns

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Video games frequently contain loot boxes, i.e. purchasable randomised virtual in-game items which share structural similarities with gambling. On YouTube©, there are multi-million subscriber video streams focusing on gaming, and many videos also prominently feature content related to loot boxes (e.g. box opening videos). We investigated whether user engagement for YouTube gameplay videos is related to the display of loot boxes, assuming that the gamblification of video games drives user engagement. Using web scraping, we collected various user engagement measures from selected YouTube gaming videos with and without focused display of loot boxes. The user engagement measures were subjected to dimensionality reduction via principal component analysis, and differences in user engagement for loot and non-loot box video content was examined. Confirming our hypothesis (see preregistration at https://osf.io/nh7zr), we found a significant positive effect of loot box content for the first component, reflecting higher active (i.e. commenting behaviour) and passive (i.e. views and likes) user engagement for loot box compared to non-loot box content. Higher user engagement for loot box video content may be linked to the gambling-like properties of loot boxes. Further, our analyses demonstrate that publicly available user data may serve as an early indicator of potential changes in problematic internet use and gambling behaviour.

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Loot boxes use, video gaming, and gambling in adolescents: Results from a path analysis before and during COVID-19-pandemic-related lockdown in Italy

Cited by 9 publications

References 82 publications

Self-harm among youth during the first 28 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada: a population-based study

Self-harm among youth during the first 28 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada: a population-based study

Wanna Bet? Investigating the Factors Related to Adolescent and Young Adult Gambling

Loot box content is associated with increased user engagement for YouTube gaming videos

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