Αssimina P Paleologou, Lazaratou Helen, Anagnostopoulos Dimitris K, Trimpouki Afroditi, Economou Marina, Malliori Melpomeni, Papageorgiou Charalampos
First Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Department of Child Psychiatry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Psychiatriki. 2021 Apr 19;32(1):34-42. doi: 10.22365/jpsych.2021.006. Epub 2021 Mar 8.
Problem gambling emerges as a serious and ever growing problem of modern societies, largely affecting adolescents as well. The etiology of gambling disorder is complex and multifaceted as it is governed by multiple and interrelated factors. In this context and in light of the pervasive financial crisis in Greece, we conducted a study in order to explore adolescents' gambling involvement in Athens region and also to identify the socio-economic characteristics of adolescents who have engaged into gambling activities. Students were recruited from a sample of schools in Athens area. For the assessment of gambling involvement in adolescents, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV Multiple Response Adapted for Juveniles Questionnaire (DSM-IV-MR-J) was administered. Additional self-constructed questions enquired about students' socio-demographic and economic characteristics. Our results indicate that adolescents that had problem with gambling or had at least one pathological item on DSM were more likely to be boys and to have been born in a country other than Greece. Additionally, the proportion of those having at least one pathological item on DSM was greater in those with low school grades. Τhe lack of food in the household due to inability of providing food during the last month was significantly associated with both having problem with gambling and having at least one pathological item on DSM. Furthermore, having been worried that there would not be enough food during the last month and having been fed with a restrained variety of food due to lack of recourses were associated with at least one pathological item on DSM. These findings are congruent with the literature suggesting that youth living under poverty often resort to gambling. In conclusion, our results point out the adverse effects of the financial crisis on the development of problem gambling in adolescents within the Greek society. Problem gambling may have developed in response to the ubiquitous insecurity characterizing the Greek society during this rough time period. Interventions should prioritize endowing adolescents with the necessary coping skills for dealing with daily obstacles or life adversities productively and without losing their self-control.
问题赌博已成为现代社会一个严重且日益严重的问题，在很大程度上也影响着青少年。赌博障碍的病因复杂且多方面，因为它受多种相互关联的因素支配。在此背景下，鉴于希腊普遍存在的金融危机，我们开展了一项研究，以探讨雅典地区青少年的赌博参与情况，并确定参与赌博活动的青少年的社会经济特征。学生是从雅典地区的学校样本中招募的。为了评估青少年的赌博参与情况，使用了《精神疾病诊断与统计手册》第四版青少年多反应适应性问卷（DSM-IV-MR-J）。另外还自行设计了一些问题，询问学生的社会人口统计学和经济特征。我们的结果表明，有赌博问题或在DSM上至少有一项病态项目的青少年更有可能是男孩，且出生在希腊以外的国家。此外，在学业成绩低的学生中，在DSM上至少有一项病态项目的比例更高。由于上个月无法提供食物导致家庭缺乏食物，这与有赌博问题和在DSM上至少有一项病态项目都显著相关。此外，上个月担心没有足够食物以及由于资源匮乏只能吃到种类有限的食物，都与在DSM上至少有一项病态项目相关。这些发现与文献一致，表明生活在贫困中的年轻人经常诉诸赌博。总之，我们的结果指出了金融危机对希腊社会青少年问题赌博发展的不利影响。问题赌博可能是在这个艰难时期希腊社会普遍存在的不安全感的背景下发展起来 的。干预措施应优先赋予青少年必要的应对技能，以便他们能够有效地应对日常障碍或生活逆境，而不会失去自我控制。
