The Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Front Public Health. 2023 Sep 20;11:1233301. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1233301. eCollection 2023.
Gambling is a public health concern. Problem gambling is related to a range of psycho-social risk factors including ethnonational affiliation. Israel is an insightful case to probe problem gambling, given the socio-economic marginalization of Israeli Arabs, the continued exposure of Israelis to stress and the conservative Israeli gambling market. This study aimed to estimate problem gambling severity in Israeli society, characterize the sociodemographic, environmental, mental health, and gambling-related risk factors associated with problem gambling severity, and examine the role of ethnonational affiliation (Israeli Jewish/Arab) as a moderating factor in the associations between these risk factors and problem gambling severity.
A cross-sectional study based on a representative sample of 3,244 Israelis was conducted in 2022, of whom 1,626 had gambled in the previous year. Measurements included Problem Gambling Severity Index, Gambling Behaviors, Perceived Neighborhood Cohesion, Stress, the Patient Health Questionnaire-4, and sociodemographic variables.
Low-risk, moderate-risk and problem gambling were reported by 16.7% of the total sample. The main risk factors for problem gambling were being an Israeli Arab, traditional, residing in a low socio-economic cluster, reporting anxiety symptoms, and higher gambling behaviors, specifically in legal/illegal online gambling. Ethnonational affiliation (Israeli Jewish/Arab) moderated the associations between gambling, illegal online gambling, and problem gambling severity. Higher neighborhood cohesion emerged as a risk factor for problem gambling solely for Israeli Arabs.
As an excluded minority, Israeli Arabs may turn to gambling as a method to access the core republican community, thus, exposing themselves to a higher risk of developing problem gambling.
赌博是一个公共卫生问题。赌博问题与一系列心理社会风险因素有关，包括民族归属。鉴于以色列阿拉伯人的社会经济边缘化、以色列人持续面临压力以及以色列保守的赌博市场，以色列是一个探究赌博问题的有价值案例。本研究旨在评估以色列社会中赌博问题的严重程度，描述与赌博问题严重程度相关的社会人口学、环境、心理健康和赌博相关风险因素，并检验民族归属（以色列犹太/阿拉伯）作为这些风险因素与赌博问题严重程度之间关联的调节因素的作用。
本研究采用 2022 年基于具有代表性的 3244 名以色列人样本的横断面研究，其中 1626 人在过去一年中赌博过。测量包括赌博问题严重程度指数、赌博行为、感知邻里凝聚力、压力、患者健康问卷-4 和社会人口学变量。
16.7%的总样本报告存在低风险、中度风险和赌博问题。赌博问题的主要风险因素包括以色列阿拉伯人、传统、居住在低社会经济集群中、报告焦虑症状以及更高的赌博行为，特别是合法/非法在线赌博。民族归属（以色列犹太/阿拉伯）调节了赌博、非法在线赌博与赌博问题严重程度之间的关联。更高的邻里凝聚力仅对以色列阿拉伯人来说是赌博问题的风险因素。
作为一个被排斥的少数民族，以色列阿拉伯人可能会将赌博作为一种融入核心共和社区的方式，从而使自己面临更高的赌博问题风险。
