engleski

Some Characteristics of Adolescent Gamblers in Croatia

Games of chance, sports betting and other forms of gambling are a form of entertainment in everyday life. As such, they are very accessible and widespread in modern society. Potential players are, through numerous advertisments on expected gains, being invited to participate in these activities. However, it is also a behavior that can easily become an addiciton and therefore disturb social, family and professional functioning of an individual. In the past decade, gambling and gambling venues have increased. Although it is illegal for minors, the fact is that a growing number of adolescents are participating in different gambling activities (sports betting, casinos, card games ect.). Consequently, the data of foreign research (along with domestic practical experience) indicate a growing increase of problem as well as pathological gambling in the adolescent population. What is more, the age limit of first gambling has lowered and the harmful effects of gambling have become more serious and far-reaching. The results of forerign research show that gambling is often in comorbidity with other risk and antisocial behavior such as alcohol and drug abuse and delinquency. There has been no systematic research on this topic in Croatia. In this presentation, the authors will present the results of a pilot-study that will be conducted in March 2010. on a sample of about 300 high-school students in Zagreb from first to fourth grade of different educational orientation (three and four-year long vocational schools and high schools). The survey questionnaire will examine gambling habits, attitudes toward gambling and some personality traits and behavior characteristics among adolescents since the importance of these parameters in explainig this phenomenon has been shown in previous foreign researches. Also, one of the aims of this research is to determine corelation of gambling and other risk and antisocial behavior (alcohol and/or drug consumption, delinquent behavior) with some personality traits such as psychopathy, impulsivity and sensation seeking. This study is associated with the planning of a comprehensive study of gambling among Croatian adolescents.

gambling; games of chance; adolescents; risk behavior

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