1Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7807, N-5020 Bergen, Norway.
2Norwegian Competence Center for Gambling and Gaming Research, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7807, N-5020 Bergen, Norway.
J Behav Addict. 2024 Mar 8;13(1):25-35. doi: 10.1556/2006.2024.00005. Print 2024 Mar 26.
The overall prevalence of gambling problems across prison populations is currently unknown. The objective of the present study was therefore to quantitatively synthetize prevalence estimates of gambling problems in prison populations using a random effects meta-analytic model and to investigate if the estimates were moderated by time frame, cut-off levels, and sample size.
To be included the studies had to report original data on the prevalence of gambling problems in a prison sample and to be written in a European language, whereas data based on abstracts or qualitative reports were excluded. The search ended on December 1, 2023 and were conducted in Web of Science, PubMed, Cinahl, PsycINFO, Embase, Google Scholar, Grey Literature Report, and GreyNet. Risk of bias was assessed with a standardized 10-item measure for epidemiological studies.
A total of 26 studies comprising 9,491 participants were included. The vast majority of the participants were males. The most commonly used instrument for assessment of gambling problems was the South Oaks Gambling Screen. The pooled random-effects gambling problems prevalence estimate was 30.8% (95% CI = 25.1-37.3). The meta-regression analysis showed that none of the three moderator variables (criteria, timeframe, sample size) were related to the gambling problems prevalence. Common limitations of the included studies entailed not being representative nationally or for the target population, lack of randomization, and low response rate. The meta-analysis was restricted to studies published in a European language.
Overall, the studies show that 1 in 3 prisoners has gambling problems and suggests that more emphasis on relevant prevention and treatment is warranted for this population. The study was funded by the Norwegian Competence Center for Gambling and Gaming Research and pre-registered at PROSPERO (CRD42023390552).
目前尚不清楚监狱人群中整体赌博问题的流行率。本研究的目的是使用随机效应荟萃分析模型定量综合监狱人群中赌博问题的流行率估计值，并研究这些估计值是否受到时间框架、截止水平和样本量的调节。
纳入的研究必须报告监狱样本中赌博问题流行率的原始数据，并且必须用欧洲语言书写，而基于摘要或定性报告的数据则被排除在外。搜索于 2023 年 12 月 1 日结束，在 Web of Science、PubMed、Cinahl、PsycINFO、Embase、Google Scholar、灰色文献报告和 GreyNet 中进行。使用标准化的 10 项流行病学研究风险评估工具评估偏倚风险。
共纳入 26 项研究，包含 9491 名参与者。绝大多数参与者为男性。最常用于评估赌博问题的工具是 South Oaks 赌博筛查量表。汇总的随机效应赌博问题流行率估计值为 30.8%（95%CI=25.1-37.3）。元回归分析表明，三个调节变量（标准、时间框架、样本量）均与赌博问题流行率无关。纳入研究的常见局限性包括：不是全国性或针对目标人群的代表性研究、缺乏随机化和低响应率。荟萃分析仅限于以欧洲语言发表的研究。
总体而言，这些研究表明，每 3 名囚犯中就有 1 名患有赌博问题，表明需要更加重视针对这一人群的相关预防和治疗。该研究由挪威赌博和游戏研究能力中心资助，并在 PROSPERO（CRD42023390552）上预先注册。
