IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/pra/mprapa/125122.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Exploratory Study on How Substance Use Affects Gambling and Spending Among Students

Author

Listed:
  • Angelillis, Barbara
  • Leogrande, Angelo

Abstract

This research examines the connection between gambling behavior and substance use among youths, with special interest regarding gender difference and the cost of gambling. With a representative sample of 700 high school students aged between ages of 14 and 18 years, the research utilized structured questionnaires to collect information. Respondents indicated their participation on gambling, ranging from slot and scratch cards to internet gambling and sports betting, and their use of psychoactive drugs. Analysis identifies a strong, statistically significant connection between gambling and use of substances, particularly among respondents who use slot gambling or sport betting. For the entire sample, 19.7% gambled and 24% took substances. Use of substances, particularly psychoactive drugs and tobacco use, were much more prevalent among gamblers compared with non-gamblers, and an associated pattern, particularly among males, unveiled much more salient features. Log odds ratio and Fisher’s exact test analysis uncovered much elevated probabilities of use of substances among gamblers, particularly among slot machine users, with odds ratios higher than 2.0 among some female subgroups. Nevertheless, internet gambling could not demonstrate strong associations with use of substances, but there revealed an evident modest positive connection among men users. Data on expenditure unveiled the majority of young persons pay less than €10 monthly on gambling, but there exists a small group with much elevated expenditure. These respondents accounted for the size of the right-skewed distribution and may demonstrate burgeoning signs of harmful gambling. Prevention and detection are highlighted with special interest regarding gender-specific behavior. Recommendations are combined, integrated prevention among young persons within schools and communities, especially regarding gambling and use of substances during youth.

Suggested Citation

  • Angelillis, Barbara & Leogrande, Angelo, 2025. "Exploratory Study on How Substance Use Affects Gambling and Spending Among Students," MPRA Paper 125122, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:125122
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/125122/1/MPRA_paper_125122.pdf
    File Function: original version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alice Guerra & Emanuela Randon & Antonello E. Scorcu, 2022. "Gender and deception: Evidence from survey data among adolescent gamblers," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 75(4), pages 618-645, November.
    2. Diana Moreira & Paulo Dias & Andreia Azeredo & Anabela Rodrigues & Ângela Leite, 2024. "A Systematic Review on Intervention Treatment in Pathological Gambling," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(3), pages 1-18, March.
    3. Wellington Mutsambi, 2024. "Substance use among Adolescents Residing in Perceived Hotspots in Zimbabwe: Prevalence and Correlates. (A Study of Sigola)," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(2), pages 2012-2026, February.
    4. Francesca Scandroglio & Giulia Ferrazzi & Alessia Giacobazzi & Vera Vinci & Mattia Marchi & Gian Maria Galeazzi & Alessandro Musetti & Luca Pingani, 2022. "Prevalence and Possible Predictors of Gambling Disorder in a Sample of Students in the Healthcare Professions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-13, December.
    5. Lombardi, Gabriele & Molinaro, Sabrina & Cotichini, Rodolfo & Cerrai, Sonia & Scalese, Marco & Benedetti, Elisa, 2024. "The cards they're dealt: types of gambling activity, online gambling, and risk of problem gambling in European adolescents," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 363(C).
    6. E. Gómez–Déniz & N. Dávila-Cárdenes & J. Boza-Chirino, 2022. "Modelling expenditure in tourism using the log-skew normal distribution," Current Issues in Tourism, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(14), pages 2357-2376, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Alice Guerra & Antonello E. Scorcu, 2025. "Parents’ vs friends’ influence on teenagers’ deception about gambling," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 589-624, June.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • C83 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology; Computer Programs - - - Survey Methods; Sampling Methods
    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • L83 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Sports; Gambling; Restaurants; Recreation; Tourism

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:125122. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Joachim Winter (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/vfmunde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.