Department of Population and Behavioural Sciences, Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Hohoe, Ghana.
Department of Health Administration and Education, Faculty of Science Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana.
BMC Public Health. 2024 Jul 29;24(1):2032. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-19550-2.
Little is known about the nexus between online gambling and psychological distress among youth, especially in Ghana. This study aimed to investigate the effects of online sports betting on psychological distress, focusing on depression, anxiety, and stress among young individuals in the Volta region of Ghana.
A cross-sectional study was carried out at various betting centers in the Volta region of Ghana. Four hundred and three (403) participants were selected using a multi-stage sampling method. The study used a standardized questionnaire to assess psychological distress with the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS 21) and problematic gambling with the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). The analysis included both descriptive and inferential methods. These include the implementation of the bootstrap technique within multiple regression models using the current versions of Jeffreys's Amazing Statistics Program (JASP) [0.18.2], Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) [29.0.2], and Microsoft Excel (2019).
The study found a prevalence of 40% for problematic gambling and 44% for moderate gambling problems among participants, resulting in an overall gambling prevalence of 84%. Regarding psychological distress, the estimated prevalence of depression among participants was 43.6%, with stress reported at 31.1% and anxiety at 68.8%. The overall prevalence of psychological distress was 48%. When analyzing the link between gambling and psychological distress, the study noted that males were more prone to gambling-related psychological distress than females (β = 2.036, p = 0.025). Furthermore, individuals with problem gambling showed the highest probability of experiencing more significant psychological distress compared to other groups (β = 9.228, p = 0.002), followed by those with moderate gambling levels (β = 3.283, p = 0.002).
We recommend that the mental health unit of the Ghana Health Service, in collaboration with the Gaming Commission of Ghana, should develop youth-friendly interventions to address the prevalence and onset of problematic gambling among the youth, especially males. This could, in turn, reduce the prevalence of psychological distress among youth engaged in online gambling in Ghana.
青少年网络赌博与心理困扰之间的关系鲜为人知，尤其是在加纳。本研究旨在调查网络博彩对年轻人心理困扰的影响，重点关注加纳沃尔特地区年轻人的抑郁、焦虑和压力。
在加纳沃尔特地区的各个投注中心进行了一项横断面研究。采用多阶段抽样法选取了 403 名参与者。该研究使用标准化问卷评估了心理困扰，使用抑郁、焦虑和压力量表（DASS 21）和问题赌博严重程度指数（PGSI）评估了问题赌博。分析包括描述性和推论性方法。这些方法包括在当前版本的杰弗里的惊人统计程序（JASP）[0.18.2]、社会科学统计软件包（SPSS）[29.0.2]和 Microsoft Excel（2019）中使用 bootstrap 技术在多元回归模型中的实现。
研究发现，参与者中存在 40%的问题赌博和 44%的中度赌博问题，总体赌博患病率为 84%。关于心理困扰，参与者中抑郁的估计患病率为 43.6%，压力为 31.1%，焦虑为 68.8%。整体心理困扰的患病率为 48%。在分析赌博与心理困扰之间的联系时，研究发现男性比女性更容易出现与赌博相关的心理困扰（β=2.036，p=0.025）。此外，与其他群体相比，有问题赌博的个体更有可能经历更严重的心理困扰（β=9.228，p=0.002），其次是有中度赌博水平的个体（β=3.283，p=0.002）。
我们建议加纳卫生服务中心的心理健康部门与加纳博彩委员会合作，制定针对年轻人的干预措施，以解决年轻人，尤其是男性中存在的问题赌博的普遍性和发生。这反过来又可以降低加纳参与网络赌博的年轻人的心理困扰发生率。
