Drivers of Gambling Problems Among Adolescents : Some Evidence from Italy

Juvenile problematic gambling is associated with relevant personal, social, and healthcare costs that may be decreased only by gaining a complete understanding of the multi-faced factors impacting this disorder to implement tailored and efficacious interventions to contrast it. The present contribution, using a sample of 1,160 high secondary school students, investigates, among a group of personal and relational factors, namely the ways of employing one’s own spare time, those that may increase/decrease the chance of becoming a gambler and, once a gambler, those that may increase/ decrease the chance of turning into a problematic one. The results obtained enrich the existing literature, not always unanimous in the evidence offered concerning the relation between structured/unstructured activities and gambling attitudes. It may help address problematic juvenile gambling, a relevant public health concern, using a multidimensional headset, acknowledging individual and societal drivers.