Bestman Amy, Thomas Samantha, Randle Melanie, Pitt Hannah
Centre for Population Health Research, School of Health and Social Development, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria, 3125, Australia.
School of Management, Operations and Marketing, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
Harm Reduct J. 2017 May 8;14(1):20. doi: 10.1186/s12954-017-0148-z.
This research sought to explore whether children's visual and auditory exposure to Electronic Gambling Machines (EGMs) in community clubs contributed to shaping their attitudes towards these types of potentially harmful gambling products. This research also examined children's knowledge of EGM behaviours in adults within their social networks.
Qualitative interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 45 children in a regional area of New South Wales, Australia. All children had attended a club that contained gambling products in the previous 12 months. Face to face, semi-structured interviews explored a range of themes including recall of and attitudes towards EGMs. Data were analysed using thematic techniques. Four social learning theory concepts-attentional, retention, reinforcement and reproduction-were used to explore the range of processes that influenced children's attitudes towards EGMs.
In relation to attentional factors, children recalled having seen EGMs in clubs, including where they were located, auditory stimuli and the physical appearance of EGMs. Children also retained information about the behaviours associated with gambling on EGMs, most prominently why adults gamble on these machines. Attitudes towards EGMs were reinforced by the child's knowledge of adults EGM behaviours. Some older children's attitudes were positively reinforced by the perception that profits from the machines would go back to their local sporting teams. Finally, while some children expressed a desire to reproduce EGM behaviours when they were older, others were concerned about the negative consequences of engaging in this type of gambling.
Despite policies that try to prevent children's exposure to EGMs in community venues, children have peripheral exposure to EGMs within these environments. This exposure and children's awareness of gambling behaviours of adults appear to play a role in shaping their attitudes towards EGMs. While further research should explore the range of other ancillary factors that contribute to children's knowledge about these machines, policy makers should consider more effective strategies to prevent children from being exposed to EGMs in community venues.
本研究旨在探讨儿童在社区俱乐部中对电子赌博机（EGM）的视觉和听觉接触是否会影响他们对这类潜在有害赌博产品的态度。本研究还考察了儿童对其社交网络中成年人电子赌博机行为的了解。
对澳大利亚新南威尔士州一个地区的45名儿童进行了定性访谈，这些儿童是便利样本。所有儿童在过去12个月内都去过设有赌博产品的俱乐部。通过面对面的半结构化访谈探讨了一系列主题，包括对电子赌博机的回忆和态度。使用主题分析技术对数据进行分析。运用社会学习理论的四个概念——注意、保持、强化和再现——来探究影响儿童对电子赌博机态度的一系列过程。
在注意因素方面，儿童回忆起在俱乐部中见过电子赌博机，包括其位置、听觉刺激以及电子赌博机的外观。儿童还记住了与在电子赌博机上赌博相关的行为信息，最突出的是成年人为何在这些机器上赌博。儿童对成年人电子赌博机行为的了解强化了他们对电子赌博机的态度。一些年龄较大的儿童认为这些机器的利润会回馈给当地运动队，这种看法对他们的态度起到了积极的强化作用。最后，虽然一些儿童表示长大后想再现电子赌博机行为，但另一些儿童则担心参与这类赌博的负面后果。
尽管有政策试图防止儿童在社区场所接触电子赌博机，但儿童在这些环境中仍会间接接触到电子赌博机。这种接触以及儿童对成年人赌博行为的认知似乎在塑造他们对电子赌博机的态度方面发挥了作用。虽然进一步的研究应探讨促成儿童了解这些机器的其他一系列辅助因素，但政策制定者应考虑采取更有效的策略，防止儿童在社区场所接触电子赌博机。
