Impulsivity, risk gambling, and heavy episodic drinking among adolescents: A moderator analysis of psychological health

Abstract

Introduction Adolescence is associated with an increased inclination for risk behaviors, like gambling and heavy episodic drinking (HED). While impulsivity is a well-documented risk factor, the purpose of this study is to explore if there are variables modulating this association. The study examined the effects of impulsivity and psychological health on risk gambling and HED, and whether psychological health functions as a moderator, i.e., protective factor. Methods Data was extracted from the Stockholm School Survey, collected in 2014 and 2016 among students in the ninth grade of primary school (15–16 years) and second grade of upper secondary school (17–18 years) in Stockholm ( n = 21,886). Impulsivity, psychological problems, risk gambling, HED, and a number of sociodemographic control variables were measured using self-report data. The statistical method was binary logistic regression. Results Results showed that risk gambling (3.4%) and HED (22.8%) were prevalent among Swedish pupils. Impulsivity and—to a weaker extent—psychological problems as well as several sociodemographic variables were risk factors for risk gambling and HED. Furthermore, psychological problems negatively moderated the association between impulsivity and HED among girls. Conclusions This study supports evidence that impulsivity represents a risk factor for risk behaviors, and—contrary to the a priori hypothesis—indicates that the association between impulsivity and HED in female students might be attenuated by the presence of psychological problems. Prevention measures should particularly address adolescents exhibiting the mentioned risk factors and aim at reducing psychological problems, but not necessarily target the adolescents showing impulsivity and psychological problems simultaneously.

School ethos and adolescent gambling: a multilevel study of upper secondary schools in Stockholm, Sweden

“…Nevertheless, the study is not without limitations. One weakness is the fact that our measures of gambling and of risk gambling are not based on established scales, although the measure of risk gambling has been shown to have good validity [30]. Yet, the percentages reporting to be involved in gambling and in risk gambling largely reflect those reported in studies that use other measures [4,32].…”

“…A dichotomous measure of risk gambling was constructed by classifying students who answered "at least once" to any of the three questions as engaging in risk gambling. The validity of the measure has been examined in a previous study, which reported internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.66) and unidimensionality of the three items [30]. The measure of risk gambling was intended to capture gambling with (at least) some negative consequences [31].…”

Attitudes, Risk Factors, and Behaviours of Gambling among Adolescents and Young People: A Literature Review and Gap Analysis

“…Problem gamblers were reported to be more likely to focus on immediate outcomes than non-problem gamblers [40], and male problem gamblers compared to non-problem gamblers were found to be more focused on the present than on past or future events [68]. Adolescent gamblers who reported gambling to seek excitement were more likely to be at risk for problem gambling, consume alcohol, and possess more gambling permissiongiving cognitions [64], and sensation seeking was found to be associated with comorbid problem gambling and heavy episodic drinking among male and female adolescents [65]. While sensation seeking was shown to be associated with problem gambling, adolescents with high sensation seeking traits were more likely to have gambling problems if they were immigrants, suggesting that adolescent problem gamblers should not be considered a homogeneous group [24].…”

“…There was consensus among the literature that sensation or excitement seeking was a strong predictor of problem gambling among adolescents and young people [24,36,40,43,[64][65][66][67]. Problem gamblers were reported to be more likely to focus on immediate outcomes than non-problem gamblers [40], and male problem gamblers compared to non-problem gamblers were found to be more focused on the present than on past or future events [68].…”

Problematic familial alcohol use and heavy episodic drinking among upper secondary students: a moderator analysis of teacher-rated school ethos

“…The item was dichotomised by classifying students who answered “A few times a month” or more often as engaging in heavy episodic drinking. This is an established measure, used in alcohol surveys among youth in Sweden since the 1970s [ 24 , 26 ] and in previous research [ 27 , 28 ]. It is deemed roughly equivalent [ 28 ] to WHO [ 1 ] definition of HED as consuming at least 60 g or more of pure alcohol on at least one occasion in the past 30 days.…”