Income Inequality and Adolescent Gambling Severity: Findings from a Large-Scale Italian Representative Survey

Abstract

Background: Studies have shown that problems related to adult gambling have a geographical and social gradient. For instance, adults experiencing gambling-related harms live in areas of greater deprivation; are unemployed, and have lower income. However, little is known about the impact of socioeconomic inequalities on adolescent problem gambling. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the contextual influences of income inequality on at-risk or problem gambling (ARPG) in a large-scale nationally representative sample of Italian adolescents. A secondary aim was to analyze the association between perceived social support (from family, peers, teachers, and classmates) and ARPG.Methods: Data from the 2013–2014 Health Behavior in School-aged Children Survey (HBSC) Study was used for cross-sectional analyses of ARPG. A total of 20,791 15-year-old students completed self-administered questionnaires. Region-level data on income inequality (GINI index) and overall wealth (GDP per capita) were retrieved from the National Institute of Statistics (Istat). The data were analyzed using the multi-level logistic regression analysis, with students at the first level and regions at the second level.Results: The study demonstrated a North–South gradient for the prevalence of ARPG, with higher prevalence of ARPG in the Southern/Islands/Central Regions (e.g., 11% in Sicily) than in Northern Italy (e.g., 2% in Aosta Valley). Students in regions of high-income inequality were significantly more likely than those in regions of low-income inequality to be at-risk or problem gamblers (following adjustment for sex, family structure, family affluence, perceived social support, and regionale wealth). Additionally, perceived social support from parents and teachers were negatively related to ARPG.Conclusions: Income inequality may have a contextual influence on ARPG. More specifically, living in regions of highest income inequality appeared to be a potential factor that increases the likelihood of becoming an at-risk or problem gambler. Findings of the study suggest that wealth distribution within societies affected by economic policies may indirectly have an influence adolescent gambling behaviors.

Prevalence of youth gambling and potential influence of substance use and other risk factors throughout 33 European countries: first results from the 2015 ESPAD study

“…in the form of gaming machines) , future studies should aim to explore the link between youth gambling and socio‐economic inequality at country level. In this direction, previous studies found that prevalence of at‐risk problem gambling is higher for adolescents living in more disadvantaged regions in Italy . Future studies should replicate this pattern at an international level.…”

Gambling Subgroups among Korean Out-of-school Adolescents

“…Out-of-school adolescents lack social support from school and friends, which has been cited as a protective factor against risk behaviors such as drinking, smoking, and adolescent problem gambling [4,5]. Gambling is the act of wagering stakes, mostly cash or something of value, on an event with an un-certain outcome [6], and has traditionally been recognized as an adult recreational activity.…”

Interaction of Socioeconomic Status with Risky Internet Use, Gambling and Substance Use in Adolescents from a Structurally Disadvantaged Region in Central Europe

“…Furthermore, in a recent systematic review, Henkel and Zemlin [ 11 ] reported on the relationship between SES and problematic gambling, when the unemployment and migration status were associated with higher prevalence of problematic gambling. The review of longitudinal studies by Dowling et al [ 12 ] also revealed the effect of socioeconomic status on the addiction in question, and Canale et al [ 13 ] examined the influence of socioeconomic status on problematic gaming, both at the individual and regional levels, showing that students living in unequal and poorer regions have higher odds of at-risk gambling. Elgar´s study [ 14 ] suggested that youth who live in economically unequal settings and perceive a lack of social support are at higher risk of disordered gambling.…”