Social Ecological Model of Problem Gambling: A Cross-National Survey Study of Young People in the United States, South Korea, Spain, and Finland

Oksanen, Atte; Sirola, Anu; Savolainen, Ilkka; Koivula, Aki; Kaakinen, Markus; Vuorinen, Ilkka; Zych, Izabela; Paek, Hye Jin

doi:10.3390/ijerph18063220

Cited by 23 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 97 publications

(74 reference statements)

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“…We found that the number of good social relationships was a strong individual predictor of continuing treatment, which resonates well with earlier research: Having meaningful social relationships is beneficial not only for protection against problem gambling but also for better recovery from it, as well as adherence to treatment programs (Oksanen et al, 2021; Petry & Weiss, 2009). In the meta-analysis of Pfund et al (2021), being married was associated with lower dropout rates.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Predicting online problem gambling treatment discontinuation: New evidence from cross-validated models.

Palomäki¹,

Lind²,

Heiskanen³

et al. 2023

Psychology of Addictive Behaviors

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Objective: There are tens of millions of problem gamblers in the world, many of whom either do not seek treatment or fail to commit to it. Dropout rates are high, and not enough is known about factors predicting treatment adherence. We focus on an online cognitive behavioral therapy program for severe problem gambling to determine the likelihood of treatment discontinuation at three different treatment phases: pretreatment, before halfway, and before the end of the program. Method: Participants were Finnish adults (N = 1,139, 670 males, M age = 34.5) registered in the program between 2019 and 2021. Using logistic regression and five-fold crossvalidated naïve Bayes classification, we predicted discontinuation with demographic-, psychometric-, and other gambling-related variables, including the quality of one's social relations, time spent on the waiting list, and experienced readiness to behavioral change. Results: The models had acceptable predictive ability (area under the curve [AUC] values from .69 to .745; cross-validated balanced classification accuracy = 63.2%). In logistic regressions, treatment discontinuation was prominently associated with younger age ( p = .008), lower education ( p < .001), not being ready to change gambling behavior ( p < .001), problem gambling severity ( p < .0001), longer time spent on the treatment waiting list ( p < .0001), and fewer close social relationships ( p < .001). Conclusions: We found significant new real-world evidence on factors statistically predicting treatment discontinuation, which is crucial when existing programs are modified to better serve those in need. Public Health Significance StatementThis study found that long treatment wait-list periods, few good social relationships, and not being ready to change gambling behavior are highly significant predictors of online problem gambling treatment discontinuation. This knowledge is crucial when existing treatment programs are modified to better serve those in need.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Predicting online problem gambling treatment discontinuation: New evidence from cross-validated models.

Palomäki¹,

Lind²,

Heiskanen³

et al. 2023

Psychology of Addictive Behaviors

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“…We also investigated differences in the relationships between the independent variables and excessive gambling in the four countries included in this study. In accordance with previous research, we expected that gambling behaviour among young people would be similar in different countries [ 37 ].…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 85%

The Mediating Role of Psychological Distress in Excessive Gambling among Young People: A Four-Country Study

Vuorinen

Oksanen

Savolainen

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Background and aims: Loneliness and a low sense of mastery are associated with excessive gambling, but the underlying processes of these relationships remain unstudied. Because psychological distress can increase vulnerability to excessive gambling, we investigated its mediating role in these relationships among young people. To meet the need for cross-country research, we also observed how these relationships occur in four countries with different cultures. Design, setting, and participants: Demographically balanced cross-sectional survey data were collected from 15–25-year-olds in Finland (n = 1200; 50% male), the United States (n = 1212; 49.8% male), South Korea (n = 1192; 49.6% male), and Spain (n = 1212; 51.2% male). Measurements: Excessive gambling was measured with the South Oaks Gambling Screen, psychological distress was assessed with the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, loneliness was measured with the three-item Loneliness Scale, and low sense of mastery was assessed with the Pearlin Mastery Scale. Associations were examined first using zero-inflated negative binomial regression analyses with excessive gambling as the outcome. In addition, path analyses were performed to study how loneliness and low sense of mastery relate to excessive gambling, with psychological distress as the mediating variable. Findings: Loneliness and low sense of mastery were associated indirectly with excessive gambling via psychological distress in all country samples. Low sense of mastery was also directly associated with excessive gambling. There was a direct association between loneliness and excessive gambling only in samples from South Korea and Spain. Conclusions: Psychological distress is an important factor in understanding how loneliness and sense of mastery relate to gambling.

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“…Este estudio mostró que entre un 5,6 y un 8,2% de los jóvenes participantes eran personas con problemas de juego y entre un 10,9 y un 12,6% jugadores en riesgo o transición. Estos datos son similares a los encontrados en España previamente con el SOGS-RA (6,3%) (Oksanen et al, 2021) e inferiores a los hallados con el DSM (17,6%) (Jiménez-Murcia et al, 2021). La mayoría de las personas clasificadas como jugadores con problemas o en riesgo/ en transición jugaban tanto a juegos de azar como estratégicos.…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

Validación española de la escala “Gamblers Belief Questionnaire (GBQ)”

et al. 2022

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The objective of this study is to validate The Gambler's Beliefs Questionnaire, a measure of gamblers' cognitive distortions. The psychometric properties of the scale were analyzed with a Spanish sample of 515 participants aged from 16 and 24 years. Three scales related to pathological gambling (SOGS-RA and MAGS) and to social desirability were administered. A cross-sectional validation was performed, obtaining a scale with 21 items distributed in two independent factors (Luck/perseverance and Illusion of control).The internal consistency (α = .93) and test-retest reliability (r = .69) are adequate. GBQ scale scores correlate significantly with other measures of pathological gambling (SOGS: r = .35; MAGS: r = .40, both p ≤ .001). Higher levels of cognitive distortions are associated with a higher likelihood of being classified as a problem or at-risk gambler. GBQ scores are influenced by social desirability, although the effect sizes are small (r below .20). The GBQ is a useful instrument in the diagnosis and evaluation of the treatment of Spanish youths and adolescents with gambling problems.

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Social Ecological Model of Problem Gambling: A Cross-National Survey Study of Young People in the United States, South Korea, Spain, and Finland

Cited by 23 publications

References 97 publications

Predicting online problem gambling treatment discontinuation: New evidence from cross-validated models.

Predicting online problem gambling treatment discontinuation: New evidence from cross-validated models.

The Mediating Role of Psychological Distress in Excessive Gambling among Young People: A Four-Country Study

Validación española de la escala “Gamblers Belief Questionnaire (GBQ)”

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