Compulsive buying tendencies and personal finances.

In a community sample of 225 adults, scores on the Compulsive Buying Scale were associated with scores on the subscales of the Executive Personal Finance Scale (rs = -.35 to -.70) and the Money Attitudes Scale (positively with using money for impressing others, and negatively with saving and planning). The results suggested that common tendencies toward compulsive buying may not be pathological, but merely associated with attitudes toward money in general and financial management habits.

Prevalence of mental disorders and trends from 1996 to 2009. Results from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study-2.

OBJECTIVE: To present prevalences of lifetime and 12-month DSM-IV mood, anxiety, substance use and impulse-control disorders from the second Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS-2), and to compare the 12-month prevalence of mood, anxiety and substance use disorders with estimates from the first study (NEMESIS-1). METHOD: Between November 2007 and July 2009, a nationally representative face-to-face survey was conducted using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0 among 6,646 subjects aged 18-64. Trends in 12-month prevalence of mental disorders were examined with these data and NEMESIS-1 data from 1996 (n = 7,076). RESULTS: Lifetime prevalence estimates in NEMESIS-2 were 20.2% for mood, 19.6% for anxiety, 19.1% for substance use disorder and 9.2% for impulse-control disorder. For 12-month disorders, these figures were 6.1, 10.1, 5.6 and 2.1%, respectively. Between 1996 and 2007-2009, the 12-month prevalence of anxiety and substance use disorder did not change. The prevalence of mood disorder decreased slightly but lost significance after controlling for differences in sociodemographic variables between the two studies. CONCLUSION: This study shows that in the Netherlands mental disorders are prevalent. In about a decade, no clear change in mental health status was found.

A survey of pharmacy students' experiences with gambling.

OBJECTIVES: To assess gambling among pharmacy students using the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS). METHODS: Six hundred fifty-eight pharmacy students enrolled at Creighton University were surveyed to determine the extent and characteristics of their gambling. RESULTS: Four hundred eighty-eight students (74.2%) participated (mean age was 26.6 years and 63.4% were female). Almost two-thirds (63.1%) gambled at least once during the past 12 months. Slightly more than 16% (80) of students were identified as "at-risk" (SOGS scores of 1 to 2). Another 5% (24) were likely to be problem gamblers (SOGS scores of 3 to 4), while 1% of students were identified as probable pathological gamblers (SOGS scores > or = 5). Students who gambled were significantly more likely than non-gamblers to be single males. Gamblers with a score > or = 1were significantly more likely to report gambling had affected their relationships with others, compared to casual gamblers. CONCLUSIONS: Gambling is a common activity among pharmacy students. While the incidence of problem gambling is relatively small, the percentage of our students who may be at-risk for gambling-related problems is noteworthy.

Replication of low-risk gambling limits using canadian provincial gambling prevalence data.

A set of low-risk gambling limits were recently produced using Canadian epidemiological data on the intensity of gambling behavior and related consequences (Currie et al. Addiction 101:570-580, 2006). The empirically derived limits (gambling no more than two to three times per month, spending no more than $501-$100o CAN per year or no more than 1% of gross income spent on gambling) accurately predicted risk of gambling-related harm after controlling for other risk factors. The present study sought to replicate these limits on data collected in three independently conducted Canadian provincial gambling surveys. Dose-response curves and logistic regression analyses were applied to gambling prevalence data collected in surveys conducted in 2001-2002 within the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario (combined sample N = 7,675). A comparable dose-response relationship between gambling intensity and risk of harm was found in each province. The optimal thresholds for defining an upper limit of low-risk gambling were similar across the three provinces despite variations in the availability and organization of legalized gambling opportunities within each region. These results provide additional evidence supporting the validity of the low-risk gambling limits. Quantitative limits could be used to augment existing responsible gambling guidelines.

High-risk health and credit behavior among 18- to 25-year-old college students.

UNLABELLED: The number of students accumulating credit card debt--and the amount of debt itself--on college campuses is increasing. If high-risk credit and health behavior are associated, health behavior interventions might apply to high-risk credit behavior. OBJECTIVE: The authors' purpose was to examine these possible associations. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: They used a retrospective design with existing data from a sample of 45,213 US college students and several ordinal regression models, which corresponded with high priority college health issues. RESULTS: Students with high-risk credit behavior were more likely to have driven after drinking, used amphetamines in the previous 30 days, felt functionally impaired by depression in the previous 12 months, had a higher body mass index (BMI), or had a lower grade-point average (GPA). They were less likely to have participated in vigorous physical activity, used condoms for oral or vaginal sex in the prior 30 days, or used marijuana. The findings support the notion that high-risk health and credit behaviors are associated. CONCLUSIONS: Further research could clarify the nature of this relation.

Factor analysis of barriers to treatment for problem gambling.

Attitudes toward problem gambling treatment were investigated in a telephone survey of 1,203 persons in Central Queensland Australia (598 women and 605 men, mean age = 45.8 years). Survey items were compiled from existing substance abuse questionnaires (Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Addictions, 1995; Sobell et al., 1991). An exploratory factor analysis identified five potential barriers to treatment, including: availability, stigma, cost, uncertainty, and avoidance. Relative to those with few problems, respondents who had numerous gambling problems were more concerned about treatment costs, and the availability and effectiveness of treatment. In addition to the above concerns, older persons more often negatively judged the treatment seeker. In contrast, educated respondents had generally more positive attitudes towards problem gamblers and treatment seeking.

Lottery playing amongst youth: implications for prevention and social policy.

Factors associated with lottery ticket purchases, accessibility of lottery products, and lottery playing behaviour amongst 1,072 youth (ages 10-18 years old, mean age 14 years-old) was examined. Playing the lottery was found to be the most popular gambling activity with youth reporting playing all forms of lottery tickets including draws, scratch tickets, and sports lottery tickets. Youth reported beginning to play the lottery at age 12, with scratch ticket participation being amongst the most highly reported type of lottery activity with the youngest age of onset. The vast majority of youth are aware of the legal age to purchase tickets although many believed that there should be no age requirement to purchase any form of lottery ticket. Youth, regardless of their age, reported few if any difficulties in purchasing lottery tickets. Moreover, a third of underage youth reported going to the store specifically to purchase lottery tickets with this behaviour increasing with the age of the participant. This research confirms previous findings that lottery tickets are highly accessible to underage youth despite legal prohibitions. The results provide valuable information that can be subsequently used in the development of responsible social policy and youth gambling prevention programs

Self-control and credit-card use among college students.

This study assessed the relationship between self-control and credit-card use with a convenience sample of 165 traditional-age college students of whom 69 (42%) were women. Students' self-control was measured on Grasmick, et al.'s Self-control Scale, which has six subscales, one of which is Impulsivity. Comparisons were made between those students who paid their cards off each month, called convenience users, and those who carried a monthly balance forward on scores on total self-control and impulsivity, and number of credit cards possessed. A significant difference in self-control scores was found between these two groups and also for mean impulsivity scores. Significantly fewer credit cards were possessed by students who paid their cards off each month than by those who carried a monthly balance.

Modelling the economics of gaming in South Africa.

This paper considers the application of two models for determining the optimal location and characteristics of a casino in a post-apartheid South Africa. The intention in developing the models was to allow provinces a facility for considering how to maximize the return to the stakeholders in the license award process, namely society at large, as represented by the provincial government, and the casino operator. The Allocation Model works on an estimate of total potential gambling spend and how that may be best distributed amongst a number of casinos. The Profitability model takes the estimated gaming spend from the allocation model and assesses the appropriate size and characteristics of the casino best suited to this level of gaming spend. It can then simulate levels of profitability for different proposed sizes and characteristics of proposed casinos. Together these models represent a powerful assessment mechanism for a country considering the introduction or radical changing of gaming legislation.