Longitudinal Changes in Gambling, Buying and Materialism in Adolescents: A Population-Based Study

Abstract

Gambling disorder, gambling-related cognitive biases, compulsive buying, and materialistic values lead to impaired functioning in important areas of life. The aims of the present longitudinal study are (1) to evaluate the change produced after one year in those mentioned variables and (2) to examine the gender role in these changes and to analyze the mediational mechanisms among the variables of the study. The sample was composed of 182 adolescents (103 females and 79 males) from secondary education Spanish institutions who completed self-administered questionnaires. Structural equation modeling has been used to explore associations between the different variables. Our results show significant decreases in compulsive buying, materialism, and cognitive biases related to gambling after one year. Gambling disorder severity was directly related to cognitive distortions of gambling and being a man. Compulsive buying was associated with older age and the female gender. Materialism was associated with compulsive buying and the male gender. In conclusion, gambling disorder, gambling-related cognitive biases, compulsive buying, and materialistic values change over time in different ways, according to gender. The understanding of gambling disorder and compulsive buying in adolescents could potentially lead to early prevention and treatment programs for the specific needs of gender and age.

Mediating Role of Intimate Partner Violence Between Emotional Dependence and Addictive Behaviours in Adolescents

“…Concerning addictive behaviours, compulsive spending stands out as the addiction that correlates the highest with emotional dependence. In this study, sex differences were found in this type of addiction, as males showed higher scores that females in compulsive spending, an information that contradicts data from other studies, showing a greater presence of compulsive spending in females than in males ( Estévez et al, 2021 ). However, it is noteworthy that, in this study, the males obtained higher scores in emotional dependence.…”

“…However, previous studies point to sex differences depending on the type of addiction. For example, being male is associated with greater severity of pathological gambling disorder, or, on the contrary, compulsive spending is higher in females ( Estévez et al, 2021 ). People who are exposed to violent situations may develop higher emotional dependence patterns, which could also contribute to the repetition of suffering or receiving violence patterns in certain situations.…”

Psychological causes, correlates, and consequences of materialism

“…Although the research just reviewed suggests that the negative effects of materialism may not be that severe in terms of general life satisfaction, we want to be clear that we are not suggesting the negative effects of materialism are trivial. In particular, the Dittmar et al (2014) meta‐analysis showed very strong relations between materialism and compulsive/impulsive 2 consumption and moderate relations with risk behaviors (see Estévez et al, 2021, for evidence of the bidirectional relation between materialism and compulsive consumption). Higher levels of materialism are also associated with poor money management (Donnelly et al, 2012; Zhang et al, 2016), higher levels of debt (Richins, 2011; Watson, 2003), and pathological gambling (Netermeyer et al, 1998).…”

Latent Classes for the Treatment Outcomes in Women with Gambling Disorder and Buying/Shopping Disorder

“…The prevalence of BSD has been estimated within a large range between 1% to 8% in industrialized countries (this wide interval is related to the large heterogeneity of the study samples and the measurement tools), with a mean point estimate of 5% according to a meta-analysis [20]. Furthermore, both clinical and population-based studies have reported an increasing trend for BSD in developing consumer societies [21], highlighting the central relevance of materialistic values among these cultures as a predisposing factor to compulsive buying attitudes [22,23]. Epidemiological research has also reported an increasing propensity toward BSD among young adults and women, suggesting a greater tolerance for women and younger age individuals to make excess purchases [24].…”