Dora Dodig Hundrić

PREVALENCE OF PATHOLOGICAL GAMBLING AMONG ALCOHOL ADDICTS IN OUTPATIENT TREATMENT IN THE CITY OF ZAGREB: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

BACKGROUND Various types of addictions often co-occur, particularly substance and behavioral ones, which affects the clinical course of mental health disorders as well as the efficacy of therapy and rehabilitation efforts. The present study aims to explore gambling activities and possible gambling addiction among alcoholics in an outpatient treatment in the city of Zagreb. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Gambling activities were assessed in 140 members of alcohol addiction clubs in the City of Zagreb (Croatia). Participants were undergoing treatment after being diagnosed by their psychiatrist with alcohol dependence syndrome based on ICD-10 criteria. Intensity of gambling-related problems was measured using the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), while intensity of alcohol addiction was assessed using DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorder. All instruments were self-report forms and were completed using pen and paper in a group context during outpatient treatment. RESULTS Pathological gambling was more prevalent in this clinical subsample than in general populations analysed in other studies. Alcohol addicts showing problematic or pathological gambling behaviors tended to play more highly addictive games (sports betting, slot machines, roulette). However, intensity of gambling-related problems did not correlate significantly with the intensity of alcohol addiction. CONCLUSION These results confirm studies from other countries showing higher prevalence of problematic and pathological gambling among alcohol addicts than in the general population. Gambling behavior in our sample more often involved games with greater addictive potential. These findings suggest that alcohol addicts should be systematically screened for problematic and pathological gambling, which may improve therapeutic efficacy and rehabilitation, as well as reduce relapse in addictive behavior in general.

Problem Gambling among Adolescent Girls in Croatia—The Role of Different Psychosocial Predictors

Although, compared to boys, adolescent girls gamble less often and less problematically, prevalence studies still show significant numbers of at risk/problem gamblers among girls. However, girl gambling has been on the sidelines of adolescent gambling research. The available studies usually focus only on a narrow set of correlates often ignoring that adolescent gambling is a complex phenomenon determined by various factors. Also, they often measure gambling related consequences with instruments that are not specifically developed for use on adolescents. In order to contribute to a better understanding of adolescent gambling this study focuses on problem gambling among girls. We consider different social, cognitive, motivational and behavioral factors as predictors of girl problem gambling. A total of 1,372 high-school girls from 7 Croatian cities participated in the study. They provided data on their gambling activities, peer gambling, cognitive distortions related to gambling, motivation for gambling, and levels of general risky behavior. As the only instrument developed specifically for use on adolescents, the Canadian Adolescent Gambling Inventory was used to examine adverse gambling consequences. Results show 7.4% of girls can be considered regular gamblers, and out of those who gambled at least once in their lifetime (n = 862), 11.2% already experience mild adverse consequences because of their gambling (at risk gamblers), with 3.2% experiencing serious consequences (problem gamblers). In general, girls seem to prefer lotto and scratch cards, but sports betting seems to be the preferred game of choice among regular girl gamblers. A hierarchical regression model confirmed the importance of much the same factors identified as risky for the development of problem gambling among adolescent boys—cognitive distortions, motives to earn money, to be better at gambling and to relax, the experiences of winning large and the drive to continue gambling, together with social factors such as having friends who also gamble, being involved in other risky and delinquent behavior and higher gambling frequency. Results call into question the importance of the motive to feel better for adolescent girls problem gambling. We discuss implications of our findings for both universal and indicated youth gambling prevention programs.