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Gambling addiction is increasing and is becoming a public health concern due to the rise of gambling-related harms affecting the youth. Previous studies suggest a strong link between problem gambling (PG) and substance use and psychosocial and familial factors. Our main objective was to analyze the association between PG and factors like sport, leisure-time activities, and risk-taking behaviors in adolescents. A survey on substance use and addictive behaviors was performed in 2019 on a representative sample of 2240 subjects (14–18 years) from the Southern Spain Region. Data variables like socio-demographic characteristics, sport, leisure and free time activities, family environment, PG (Lie-Bet Scale), compulsive internet use (CIUS Scale), and consumption of alcohol and cannabis were collected using a standardized questionnaire. Weighted PG prevalence was estimated in either sex, as well as the differences between various levels of PG using chi-square tests. Crude and adjusted weighted logistic regression models were used to identify predictors associated with PG. The prevalence of PG was associated with shopping frequency, compulsive internet use, cannabis use in the previous month, higher family economic status, and having a homemaker father which increased the likelihood of PG. On the contrary, cultural hobbies such as playing an instrument, painting, singing, and writing, and having a working mother were inversely associated with PG. Our results suggest that encouraging participation in creative activities along with supervised shopping and monitoring compulsive internet use and cannabis consumption may contribute some protection against adolescent PG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focused on mothers and childless women in recovery from a gambling disorder (GD) in the context of risk society. Mothers with GD suffer from dual social stigma as gamblers and as women who put their children at risk. Mothers in "risk society" tend to recognize that their choices can affect their children's future. The recovery capital (RC) toolkit comprises internal and external resources and barriers enacted in recovery. This longitudinal study: (a) compared the RC toolkits of mothers versus childless women and their effects on these women's dropout and relapse rates; (b) explored the resources and barriers that predict dropout and relapse in each group. Analysis of the clinical data of 211 women with GD (N = 146 mothers) who received cognitive behavioral therapy for 16 weeks in Spain indicated that mothers reported lower levels of education and were from more disadvantaged socioeconomic groups, were older, and developed gambling-related problems in older age. Mothers had significantly lower relapse rates but not lower dropout rates. There were more personal predictors of dropout among childless women, whereas low levels of family support and the absence of gambling debts predicted dropout in the mothers' group. These findings were interpreted by combining the concepts of risk society and recovery capital in action, highlight the differences between resources and barriers in the RC toolkits used by mothers versus childless women and their interplay with the sociocultural contexts of risk society and childfree lifestyles. Therapists and policymakers should consider these differences during recovery. Public Policy Relevance Statement: Women with gambling disorders cope with multiple challenges during their recovery, especially if they are also mothers. This study compared and examined mothers' versus childless women's recovery capital toolkits and their effect on dropout and relapse rates. The differences between the two are interpreted by the interplay between these toolkits and the sociocultural contexts that mothers and childless women encounter in their daily lives. Policymakers and therapists should consider these contexts and the ways they may enhance or hinder women's recovery from gambling disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gambling opportunities have greatly expanded in recent years leading to an alternative form of leisure but also raising social concerns. Participation in such activities may be conditioned by individual characteristics affecting the willingness of individuals to gamble, including gender, but also by time effects linked to the availability and exposure of gambling. Using data from Spain, estimates from a time-varying split population duration model show significant gender differences in the propensity to start gambling (men's episodes as non-gamblers were observed to be shorter than women's). Additionally, expansion of gambling opportunities over time is found to be correlated with an increase in the propensity to start gambling. Both men and women are clearly more likely to start gambling at earlier ages than before. These results are expected to improve knowledge of gender differences in terms of consumer decision making about gambling and to be helpful in designing public policies for gambling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gambling is becoming increasingly frequent and problematic, especially due to the explosion of online alternatives. Evaluating the severity of gambling symptomatology is therefore more important than ever. However, innovations in the gambling field have generally focused on its treatment rather than its evaluation. The Gambling Symptom Assessment Scale (G-SAS) is a well-established measure of gambling-related symptomatology (e.g., gambling urges, gambling-related thoughts and behaviours, and interpersonal functioning). The aim of this study is to validate a Spanish adaptation of the G-SAS so that individual differences in gambling symptomatology can be assessed by clinicians and researchers. The internal structure of the G-SAS was investigated using an exploratory factor analysis with a sample of 364 individuals from the general population in Spain (mean age = 28.84 years, SD = 11.73; 54% males). A four-factor structure was preferred considering fit indices (Chi-square = 22.62, p =.162, RMSEA = 0.030, CFI = 0.998, TLI = 0.995) and internal consistency estimates (0.67 ≤ α ≤ 0.89). The factors were labelled gambling-related symptoms, control of gambling urges/thoughts, interference, and arousal. Regarding construct validity, the four factors of the G-SAS were positively and significantly (all p <.001) correlated with measures of problematic gambling severity (0.40 ≤ r ≤.73), problematic gambling diagnostic (0.40 ≤ r ≤.67), gambling cognitions (0.48 ≤ r ≤.57), impulsivity (0.26 ≤ r ≤.42), anxiety (0.22 ≤ r ≤.38), and depression (0.16 ≤ r ≤.42), and negatively with quality of life (-0.24 ≤ r≤-.42). In sum, this study provides Spanish clinicians and researchers with a tool that serves to assess the status of individuals in relation to gambling symptomatology, which can be used to screen for at-risk profiles and evaluate treatment response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, some governments and other stakeholders in countries where online gambling has been legalized have implemented responsible gambling policies. From the theoretical and empirical evidence in this study, we show that these responsible gambling policies are insufficient to prevent the emergence of pathological gambling disorder in society, especially among adolescents. Since online gambling was legalized in Spain in June 2012, online gambling companies have been required by law to implement responsible gambling policies. The implemented policies largely consist of informing customers of the dangers of gambling and how to minimize harm by engaging in behaviour that prevents addiction. However, online gambling addiction has increased exponentially; at present, it is the second most common form of pathological gambling in Spain and the most common form among young children and adolescents (Chóliz, 2016). In our study involving 6,053 underage adolescents, the results showed that more than half of them had gambled and that the prevalence rate of pathological gambling was triple that of the general population. Our main conclusions are that online gambling especially affects male minors, some of whom have developed gambling disorders since the legalization (and broad promotion) of online gambling in Spain. Responsible gambling policies implemented by the conservative government of Spain (2011-2018) and by gambling companies were insufficient to prevent such disorders from becoming an epidemic among Spanish adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proliferation of on-site betting shops has received enormous public attention, becoming one of the most alarming health policy issues in contemporary cities. However, there is little evidence on whether its growing presence nearby vulnerable populations produce social harm beyond its known adverse individual effects. This study provides new evidence on the negative societal effects of betting houses. Our research design takes advantage of a new wave of openings in Madrid (Spain), which created a sudden increase in the supply of on-site gambling. Using a differences-in-differences design, we find that new betting houses decline nearby high schools' educational performance, especially in public schools in less advantaged areas. This effect is neither trivial nor diminishing with time. This evidence suggests that betting houses increase inequality of educational opportunities. The ubiquity of betting houses around vulnerable populations in multiple regions drives us to think that these findings have relevant policy implications for many countries currently designing policies tackling the increase of problem gambling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apart from the economic impact of the online gambling industry, the social, public order and health-related consequences of the industry merit analysis to inform appropriate action, regulatory or otherwise. The omnipresence of ICTs, the inability to use technologies properly, along with the growth of online gambling channels, have acted simultaneously as a catalyst for the spread of pathological and problematic gambling. In this context, social networks have become a highly effective platform to instil positive attitudes towards the products of gambling operators. This work uses the Natural Language Processing based web application "GPLSI Social Analytics" to track, in real time, the conversations generated on Twitter about the Spanish domain accounts of the main online sports gambling operators. The findings indicate that most of the messages about these operators are positive and surprise is the predominant emotion associated with them. The notion of responsible online gambling barely receives a mention in the conversations analysed. Given the role of new technologies as access facilitators and potential enhancers of addictive behaviours, it is necessary to adopt measures directed at social networks that guarantee the coexistence of the right to freedom of expression with the protection of the most vulnerable populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Sports betting has been barely explored independently from other gambling behaviors. Little evidence is available regarding the factors affecting its severity in a clinical sample. The current study explores new determinants for sports betting severity in Spain by the inclusion of psychopathological distress and personality factors. Methods: A sample of 352 Spanish sports bettors undergoing treatment for gambling disorder was recruited. Multiple regression models were used to evaluate the effects of sociodemographic variables, the age of onset of gambling behavior, the global psychopathological distress (SCL-90R GSI) and the personality profile (TCI-R) on sports betting severity and their influence over frequency (bets per episode) and debts due to gambling. Results: We found that older age, higher psychopathological distress, lower self-directedness level, and higher novelty seeking level were predictors of gambling severity in Spanish sports bettors. The highest betting frequency was found in men, with the lowest education levels but the highest social status, the highest psychopathological distress, reward dependence score, and self-transcendence trait and the lowest persistence score. Debts were also associated to higher score in cooperativeness as well as older age. Discussion and conclusions: Our findings call for further exploration of factors affecting sports betting severity regarded as a separate gambling entity subtype, as some of the traditional factors typically found in gamblers do not apply to sports bettors or apply inversely in our country. Consequently, sports bettors might deserve specific clinical approaches to tackle the singularities of their gambling behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online gambling has grown into a global social and economic phenomenon. It is, however, regarded as a risky practice, as it may be connected to the development of gambling-related disorders. Literature has shown a growing interest to determine the direction of the relationship between online gambling participation and gambling-related harm, as it raises some endogeneity concerns. This paper aims to contribute to the study of this relationship. Using data from the prevalence study of gambling users in Spain, a two-stage approach with instrumental variables is proposed to address these endogeneity concerns. An ordered probit model is then estimated to explore the correlation between online gambling participation, the intensity of participation, and the risk of developing some kind of gambling-related harm. Findings showed that online gambling had a significant impact on the odds of experiencing a gambling disorder, which worsened as online gambling participation increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1990s, gambling has been considered a public health concern. The characteristics of games and the environments in which gambling is carried out are major causes of gambling disorder. Information and communication technologies (e.g., Internet, mobile phones) have been adapted for gambling, and new forms of online gambling have appeared. Online gambling is currently legal in many countries worldwide, and it is continuing to expand globally. In Spain, online gambling has been legal since 2012, when the government authorized companies to operate in this space. Many other countries have been through a similar process of legalization and the promotion of online gambling. In this study, we analyzed the prevalence of gambling disorder in Spain, as well as differences between online and traditional gambling, according to sex and age group. Prevalence indicators of gambling disorder were higher than expected, and this result was especially evident with regard to online gambling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Depression and impulse control disorders (ICDs) are both common in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and their coexistence is frequent. Our aim was to determine the relationship between depression and impulsive-compulsive behaviors (ICBs) in a large cohort of PD patients.Methods: PD patients recruited from 35 centers of Spain from the COPPADIS cohort from January 2016 to November 2017 were included in the study. The QUIP-RS (Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson's Disease-Rating Scale) was used for screening ICDs (cutoff points: gambling ≥6, buying ≥8, sex≥8, eating≥7) and compulsive behaviors (CBs) (cutoff points: hobbyism-punding ≥7). Mood was assessed with the BDI-II (Beck Depression Inventory - II) and major, minor, and subthreshold depression were defined.Results: Depression was more frequent in PD patients with ICBs than in those without: 66.3% (69/104) vs 47.5% (242/509); p<0.0001. Major depression was more frequent in this group as well: 22.1% [23/104] vs 14.5% [74/509]; p=0.041. Considering types of ICBs individually, depression was more frequent in patients with pathological gambling (88.9% [8/9] vs 50.2% [303/603]; p=0.021), compulsive eating behavior (65.9% [27/41] vs 49.7% [284/572]; p=0.032), and hobbyism-punding (69% [29/42] vs 49.4% [282/571]; p=0.010) than in those without, respectively. The presence of ICBs was also associated with depression (OR=1.831; 95%CI 1.048-3.201; p=0.034) after adjusting for age, sex, civil status, disease duration, equivalent daily levodopa dose, antidepressant treatment, Hoehn&Yahr stage, non-motor symptoms burden, autonomy for activities of daily living, and global perception of QoL.Limitations: Cross-sectional design.Conclusions: Depression is associated with ICBs in PD. Specifically, with pathological gambling, compulsive eating behavior, and hobbyism-punding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Betting on sport is one of the fastest developing forms of gambling internationally. Sports betting is attracting considerable scholarly, media, and regulatory attention due to the cultural salience of sport, and the rising public health concerns about the rapid proliferation and penetration of betting products in everyday life. Despite its global expansion, little is known regarding the comparative impact sports betting is having in different territories. This study aims to examine a sample of Australian (n = 738) and Spanish (n = 361) weekly sports bettors to assess their similarities and differences concerning sociodemographic characteristics, channels (i.e., online vs. offline) and devices used, in-play betting, and problem gambling severity. The findings showed high problem gambling scores among sports bettors in both countries, and consistent similarities in the association between problem gambling, in-play betting, and offline betting. Also, clear trends were observed between problem gambling, higher educational level, and female sport betting, particularly in the Australian sample. These results suggest a common pattern of risk factors for problematic sports betting and can help to inform worldwide regulatory efforts to tackle harmful sports betting-specific features such as in-play betting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: online gambling (bets, casino games, poker, etc.) is an activity that is spreading worldwide, even in countries where it is not yet legalized. Although the situation in Latin America is very heterogeneous, it is possible that, as online gambling is developed and promoted, addiction problems arise. This has already happened in Spain since the legalization of online gambling in 2011. Thus, psychology should be developing intervention programs to face this new scenario. Goal: this paper describes the treatment protocol for a young man with sports betting addiction. Method: the treatment proposal consisted in a cognitive behavioral therapy which focused on deconditioning of gambling situations; training of skills needed to prevent relapses and overcome risky situations; information on gambling risks; change of attitude towards gambling; and promotion of a healthy lifestyle incompatible with gambling addiction. Results: both the treatment phases and the theoretical basis of the intervention proposal are described. The patient, diagnosed with a severe gambling disorder, showed improvements in the gambling disorder criteria and the Symptom Severity Scale Score. Conclusions: a treatment protocol for online gambling addiction, which is based on the principles of motivation and learning, has been developed. This protocol has demonstrated to be effective in reducing gambling behavior and promoting a new healthy lifestyle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive biases or distortions related to gambling, present in all people, are considered a relevant factor in the development of gambling-related problems.Objective: to establish whether the presence of these biases or cognitive distortions, in gamblers and non-gamblers, is related to the presence of gambling problems.Method: 3000 people aged 18-81 years, representative of the Spanish adult population, underwent a structured survey.Results: the presence of distortions was relevant to distinguish gamblers according to their level of gambling engagement and problems. There is a constant and significant tendency to have more cognitive distortions as gambling problems increase. But not all distortions have the same ability to distinguish between the different groups of gamblers. The results seem to group gamblers into three groups according to the presence of cognitive distortions, from less to more: (1) non-gamblers, (2) low-risk and at-risk gamblers, and (3) problem and pathological gamblers. The relevance of this research and its practical implications for both treatment and prevention work is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The way society perceives problem gambling, and its effects on how problem gamblers perceive themselves have significant consequences on the wellbeing of people experiencing gambling disorder. Associated with social perception, stigma and other social perception-related features have an impact on the way problem gamblers identify themselves, seek for help, and recover. However, not all gambling types are identically perceived by the society. The present paper examines the case of the social perception of sports betting in the context of Spain. A total of 43 male sports bettors undergoing treatment for gambling disorder were interviewed within seven focus group discussions. Using a qualitative thematic analysis technique, participants reported two fundamental characteristics of sports betting social perception: (1) the absence of negative connotations associated with sports betting comparative to other gambling forms; and (2) the presence of positive connotations that sanitised sports betting as a harmless practice. The study reports aspects such as the lack of stereotypes, the low-involvement of betting as a product, the novelty of online sports betting, the social construction of the normal bettor, and the workplace gambling normalisation as elements that could lead to an increase in gambling-related harm. This is the first study to explore the social perception of sports betting in a subgroup of problem sports bettors and suggests that policymakers should be cognizant of these perceptions in order to inform responsible gambling regulation . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buying disorder (BD) and gambling disorder (GD) are behavioral addictions that are increasingly being researched and treated by mental health professionals. This study analyzes the underlying mechanisms of the comorbidity between both conditions in a sample of treatment-seeking patients. The sample included n = 127 patients recruited from a specialized unit in addictive behaviors at a public university hospital who presented BD symptoms with and without GD. Structural equation models analyzed the mediational mechanisms that explained the presence of the comorbid condition BD + GD. Personality variables indirectly influence the concurrence of GD and BD, and the relationship patterns were modulated by the age of onset of these two conditions. A direct relationship between being male and an increase in the risk of GD + BD comorbidity was also found. Sex and the amount of disorder-related debts also were directly associated with psychopathology. These results provide evidence on the pathways of concurrent BD + GD, which could contribute to the development of evidence-based preventive and therapeutic interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Gambling disorder is characterized by poor regulation of negative emotions and impulsive behaviours. This study aimed to (1) compare gambling disorder patients (GDPs) and healthy controls (HCs) in self-report and brain activation measures of emotion regulation; and (2) establish its relationship with negative emotion-driven impulsivity. Design Two cross-sectional case-control studies including GDPs and HCs. Setting and Participants GDPs and HCs were recruited from specialized gambling clinics in Andalusia (Spain), where they were following out-patient treatment, and from the community, respectively. Study 1 included 41 GDPs and 45 HCs [All males; Mage = 35.22, 33.22; standard deviation (SD) = 11.16, 8.18; respectively]. Study 2 included 17 GDPs and 21 HCs (16/20 males; Mage = 32.94, 31.00; SD = 7.77, 4.60; respectively). Measurements In study 1, we compared both groups on suppression and re-appraisal emotion regulation strategies [Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ)]. In study 2, we compared GDPs with HCs on brain activation associated with down-regulation of negative emotions in a cognitive re-appraisal task, measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In both studies, we correlated the measures of emotion regulation with mood-related impulsivity indicated by negative urgency (UPPS-P impulsive behaviour scale). Findings GDPs relative to HCs showed higher levels of emotional suppression [ F = 4.525; P = 0.036; means difference MHCs-MGDPs = −2.433, 95% confidence interval (CI) = −4.706, −0.159] and higher activation of the premotor cortex and middle frontal gyrus during negative emotion regulation in the fMRI task [ P ≤ 0.005, cluster size (CS) > 50 voxels]. Negative urgency correlated positively with emotional suppression ( r = 0.399, 95% CI = 0.104, 0.629, one-tailed P = 0.005) and middle frontal gyrus activation during negative emotion regulation ( P ≤ 0.005, CS > 50) in GDPs. Conclusions Gambling disorder is associated with greater use of emotional suppression and stronger pre-motor cortex and middle frontal gyrus activation for regulating negative emotions, compared with healthy controls. Emotional suppression use and middle frontal gyrus activation during negative emotion regulation are linked with negative emotion-driven impulsivity in this disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gambling disorder is associated with elevated comorbidity with depressive and anxious disorders, and one variable that might help in the understanding of this association is metacognition. In the present study, the relationship between gambling and metacognition and the mediating role of metacognition in the relationship between gambling and depressive and anxious symptomatology were assessed. The sample comprised 124 pathological gamblers from centers that assist pathological gamblers and 204 participants from the general population. The results showed that pathological gamblers had higher levels of depressive and anxious symptomatology. Additionally, pathological gamblers had higher scores for positive beliefs about worry, negative beliefs of uncontrollability and danger, and beliefs about the need to control thoughts; these factors were also positively correlated with depressive and anxious symptomatology. Metacognition also fully mediated the association between gambling and depressive and anxious symptomatology. These results suggest that metacognition could contribute to explaining gambling disorder and the symptomatology associated with it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is possible that the growth and promotion of online gambling will result in substantially increased use of these types of games in countries where they are legal. This may be especially true for young people due to their interest in such games. In this context, it is important to note that online gambling is more addictive than any other type of game due its structural characteristics, such as immediacy, accessibility, ease of betting, and so on. This study examined the effect of online gambling in Spain 2 years after its legalization. The sample included 1277 pathological gamblers in recovery at 26 gambling addiction treatment centers. Our results showed a significant increase in young pathological gamblers since the legalization of this activity. This is a very relevant issue because, as in the case of Spain, many countries are currently in process of legalization of many types of online games. Scientific research can be useful to adapt the adequate gambling policies in order to prevent the gambling addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To contrast functional connectivity on ventral and dorsal striatum networks in cocaine dependence relative to pathological gambling, via a resting-state functional connectivity approach; and to determine the association between cocaine dependence-related neuroadaptations indexed by functional connectivity and impulsivity, compulsivity and drug relapse. Design Cross-sectional study of 20 individuals with cocaine dependence (CD), 19 individuals with pathological gambling (PG) and 21 healthy controls (HC), and a prospective cohort study of 20 CD followed-up for 12 weeks to measure drug relapse. Setting and Participants CD and PG were recruited through consecutive admissions to a public clinic specialized in substance addiction treatment (Centro Provincial de Drogodependencias) and a public clinic specialized in gambling treatment (AGRAJER), respectively; HC were recruited through community advertisement in the same area in Granada (Spain). Measurements Seed-based functional connectivity in the ventral striatum (ventral caudate and ventral putamen) and dorsal striatum (dorsal caudate and dorsal putamen), the Kirby delay-discounting questionnaire, the reversal-learning task and a dichotomous measure of cocaine relapse indicated with self-report and urine tests. Findings CD relative to PG exhibit enhanced connectivity between the ventral caudate seed and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, the ventral putamen seed and dorsomedial pre-frontal cortex and the dorsal putamen seed and insula ( P ≤ 0.001, kE = 108). Connectivity between the ventral caudate seed and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex is associated with steeper delay discounting ( P ≤ 0.001, kE = 108) and cocaine relapse ( P ≤ 0.005, kE = 34). Conclusions Cocaine dependence-related neuroadaptations in the ventral striatum of the brain network are associated with increased impulsivity and higher rate of cocaine relapse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this study are: to explore empirical clusters in a sample of individuals with a gambling disorder (GD) according to the presence of illegal behaviors, to describe the subgroups at a clinical level and to examine whether a temporal change has taken place across the last 9 years. The sample consisted of 378 patients with a GD who consecutively received outpatient treatment, and who reported the presence of the DSM-IV criteria "presence of illegal behavior". Two-step clustering procedure revealed the existence of four empirical groups, which differed in both sociodemographic and clinical profiles. The patients, who have committed illegal acts due to their gambling behavior, are a heterogeneous group in which it is possible to identify different subtypes, based on sociodemographic, psychopathological, clinical and personality characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study analyzes the relationship between trait anxiety and problem gambling in a representative sample of Galician students (N = 1.447), with ages raging from 11 to 16 years old. Anxiety was assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAIC) by Spielberger et al. (1990) and problem gambling using the South Oaks Gambling Screen-Revised Adolescents (SOGS-RA) by Winters et al. (1993). The results show sex differences in anxiety level, with women scoring higher. Furthermore, this difference becomes greater with age. With regards to gambling behavior, prevalence in this sample was 4.6%. Anxiety levels were higher in the case of at risk gamblers and problem gamblers as opposed to non-gamblers. In addition, those having worse gambling problems show higher anxiety scores when involvement of parents in gambling and academic failure variables are taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the prevalence of pathological gambling among adolescents in Spain. Factors which influence children to gamble; Percentage of adolescents who gamble; Findings of studies conducted in other countries.

Pathological gambling is becoming an increasing concern for the Spanish population. Governmental figures from 1989 show that in the Autonomic Region of Andalucia with a population of 7 million inhabitants, more than three hundred billion pesetas (approximately UK£1,500 million) were spent during 1988 gambling in casinos, slot machines and at bingo. These figures represent an increase of 15% over the figures of the previous year and suggest that gambling may have come a very important problem in Spain. This paper presents the first epidemiological study carried out in Spain on gambling and the estimated prevalence of pathological gambling in Seville, political capital of Andalucia. A sample of 598 individuals were interviewed with an adapted screening instrument. The results suggest that further epidemiological studies are required at a national level. They also indicate that preventive and treatment measures should also be taken urgently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gambling disorder is of great clinical and social relevance since it seriously affects people who suffer from it. More recently, the Internet has exacerbated the problem with online casinos, poker, and sports betting. However, there is little evidence of this problem, and we know of no diagnostic questionnaire. The main objectives of this study were to develop the Online Gambling Disorder Questionnaire (OGD-Q) for adolescents, evaluate its main psychometric properties, and establish diagnostic criteria to differentiate pathological from non-pathological online gamblers. We conducted a study in 16 schools across seven regions of Spain, sampling 2691 adolescents, 883 of whom had reported some online gambling experience. Of those, 602 were boys (68.2%) and 281 were girls (31.8%) Sampling was non-probabilistic and incidental. Mean age and standard deviation were 14.25 ± 1.55 (11–19 years). Confirmatory factor analysis yielded a one-dimensional model with a good fit. The reliability indicators were satisfactory (>0.94). The scores on the OGD-Q were related to other constructs, such as Internet gaming disorder, problematic Internet use, and nomophobia. Participants classified as having problems or being at risk of online gambling disorder presented significantly more stress, anxiety, and depression. Participants categorized as having online gambling disorder comprised 0.89% (n = 24) of the total sample and 2.71% of those who have gambled at some time. We discuss these findings and their practical implications in this article and propose future lines of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]