Investigating adolescents’ video gaming and gambling activities, and their relationship with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties: a study protocol (Preprint)

AbstractBackground and aimsEsports betting is an emerging gambling activity where individuals place bets on an organized video gaming competition. It represents only one of several gambling activities commonly endorsed by adolescents. To date, limited research has explored the relationship between esports betting and mental health among adolescents and its convergence with both problem gambling (PG) and problem video gaming (PVG). The present study examined the relation between esports betting, PG and PVG, and both externalizing and internalizing problems among adolescents while accounting for adolescents' video gaming intensity (i.e., how often they play 2 h or more in a day) and engagement in other gambling activities.MethodsData was collected from 6,810 adolescents in Wood County, Ohio schools. A subset of 1,348 adolescents (Mage = 14.67 years, SD = 1.73, 64% male) who had gambled and played video games during the past year were included in the analyses.ResultsApproximately 20% (n = 263) of the included sample had bet on esports during the past year. Esports betting was positively correlated with other forms of gambling, both PG and PVG, and externalizing behaviors. Mediation analyses revealed esports betting was associated to both internalizing and externalizing problems through PVG and not PG.ConclusionsEsports betting may be particularly appealing to adolescents who are enthusiastic video gamers. As such, regulators must be vigilant to ensure codes of best practices are applied to esports betting operators specifically for underaged individuals.

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Predictors of Problematic Video Game Usage in Childhood and Adolescence

SUCHT - Zeitschrift für Wissenschaft und Praxis / Journal of Addiction Research and Practice ◽

10.1024/0939-5911.a000247 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 59 (3) ◽

pp. 153-164 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Thomas Mößle ◽

Florian Rehbein

Keyword(s):

Social Environment ◽

School Children ◽

Video Game ◽

Video Gaming ◽

Control Group ◽

Childhood And Adolescence ◽

Longitudinal Control ◽

Peer Problems ◽

Media Usage ◽

Usage Patterns

Aim: The aim of this article is to work out the differential significance of risk factors of media usage, personality and social environment in order to explain problematic video game usage in childhood and adolescence. Method: Data are drawn from the Berlin Longitudinal Study Media, a four-year longitudinal control group study with 1 207 school children. Data from 739 school children who participated at 5th and 6th grade were available for analysis. Result: To explain the development of problematic video game usage, all three areas, i. e. specific media usage patterns, certain aspects of personality and certain factors pertaining to social environment, must be taken into consideration. Video game genre, video gaming in reaction to failure in the real world (media usage), the children’s/adolescents’ academic self-concept (personality), peer problems and parental care (social environment) are of particular significance. Conclusion: The results of the study emphasize that in future – and above all also longitudinal – studies different factors regarding social environment must also be taken into account with the recorded variables of media usage and personality in order to be able to explain the construct of problematic video game usage. Furthermore, this will open up possibilities for prevention.

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