Canale Natale, Vieno Alessio, Lenzi Michela, Griffiths Mark D, Borraccino Alberto, Lazzeri Giacomo, Lemma Patrizia, Scacchi Luca, Santinello Massimo
Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of PadovaPadova, Italy.
International Gaming Research Unit, Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent UniversityNottingham, United Kingdom.
Front Psychol. 2017 Aug 3;8:1318. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01318. eCollection 2017.
Studies have shown that problems related to adult gambling have a geographical and social gradient. For instance, adults experiencing gambling-related harms live in areas of greater deprivation; are unemployed, and have lower income. However, little is known about the impact of socioeconomic inequalities on adolescent problem gambling. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the contextual influences of income inequality on at-risk or problem gambling (ARPG) in a large-scale nationally representative sample of Italian adolescents. A secondary aim was to analyze the association between perceived social support (from family, peers, teachers, and classmates) and ARPG. Data from the 2013-2014 Health Behavior in School-aged Children Survey (HBSC) Study was used for cross-sectional analyses of ARPG. A total of 20,791 15-year-old students completed self-administered questionnaires. Region-level data on income inequality (GINI index) and overall wealth (GDP per capita) were retrieved from the National Institute of Statistics (Istat). The data were analyzed using the multi-level logistic regression analysis, with students at the first level and regions at the second level. The study demonstrated a North-South gradient for the prevalence of ARPG, with higher prevalence of ARPG in the Southern/Islands/Central Regions (e.g., 11% in Sicily) than in Northern Italy (e.g., 2% in Aosta Valley). Students in regions of high-income inequality were significantly more likely than those in regions of low-income inequality to be at-risk or problem gamblers (following adjustment for sex, family structure, family affluence, perceived social support, and regionale wealth). Additionally, perceived social support from parents and teachers were negatively related to ARPG. Income inequality may have a contextual influence on ARPG. More specifically, living in regions of highest income inequality appeared to be a potential factor that increases the likelihood of becoming an at-risk or problem gambler. Findings of the study suggest that wealth distribution within societies affected by economic policies may indirectly have an influence adolescent gambling behaviors.
研究表明，与成人赌博相关的问题存在地理和社会梯度。例如，遭受赌博相关危害的成年人生活在贫困程度更高的地区；他们失业且收入较低。然而，关于社会经济不平等对青少年问题赌博的影响却知之甚少。本研究的主要目的是在一个具有全国代表性的意大利青少年大规模样本中调查收入不平等对有风险或问题赌博（ARPG）的背景影响。次要目的是分析感知到的社会支持（来自家庭、同伴、教师和同学）与ARPG之间的关联。来自2013 - 2014年学龄儿童健康行为调查（HBSC）研究的数据用于ARPG的横断面分析。共有20791名15岁学生完成了自填式问卷。收入不平等（基尼系数）和总体财富（人均国内生产总值）的地区层面数据从国家统计局（Istat）获取。数据采用多层次逻辑回归分析进行分析，学生处于第一层次，地区处于第二层次。该研究表明ARPG的患病率存在南北梯度，南部/岛屿/中部地区（如西西里岛为11%）的ARPG患病率高于意大利北部（如奥斯塔山谷为2%）。高收入不平等地区的学生比低收入不平等地区的学生更有可能成为有风险或问题赌徒（在对性别、家庭结构、家庭富裕程度、感知到的社会支持和地区财富进行调整之后）。此外，来自父母和教师的感知到的社会支持与ARPG呈负相关。收入不平等可能对ARPG有背景影响。更具体地说，生活在收入不平等程度最高的地区似乎是增加成为有风险或问题赌徒可能性的一个潜在因素。该研究结果表明，受经济政策影响的社会中的财富分配可能间接影响青少年的赌博行为。
