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Online Gambling in Iranian Social Media Users: Prevalence, Related Variables and Psychiatric Correlations

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Abstract

The exponential increase in Internet use has been associated with dangers and harms. Recently, the prevalence of online gambling is increasing in various countries. Online gambling can be a prelude to gambling disorder. No study has been conducted in this field in Iran yet. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of online gambling (without disorder and pathological), and its relationship with demographic variables and psychiatric symptoms. 3252 people participated in this study online. Research tools included gambling disorder screening questionnaire-Persian (GDSQ-P), brief symptom inventory (BSI), Young's addiction questionnaire, and Demographic questionnaire. The prevalence of online gambling was 8.9%. 26.6% of online gamblers experience moderate to severe degrees of pathological gambling. 74.7% of online gamblers were male. Online gamblers have a lower mean age than non-online gamblers (p < 0.001). Online gamblers were equally from all economic classes. The most common methods of gambling were CRASH game and sports betting. Online gamblers had no significant difference in the rate of face-to-face (physical) gambling history, compared to non-online gamblers (6.9% vs 5.6%), (p > 0.05). In BSI-assessed psychiatric symptoms, online gamblers showed higher scores on anxiety and obsession, and lower scores on paranoid ideation, compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Also, Internet addiction and daily use of the Internet as entertainment were significantly higher in online gamblers than non-online gamblers (p < 0.05). Also, a positive and significant correlation was found between the severity of gambling and the severity of Internet addiction, severity of depression, severity of anxiety, and severity of obsession in online gamblers (p < 0.05). Overall, online gambling is common in Iran and is associated with psychiatric problems. Health professionals and the government should pay special attention to online gambling and its related problems.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Behavioral Sciences, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mohammadreza Davoudi & Fereshteh Rajaeiramsheh

  2. Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran

    Sheida Shirvani

  3. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Psychology, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran

    Aliakbar Foroughi

Authors
  1. Mohammadreza Davoudi
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  2. Sheida Shirvani
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  3. Aliakbar Foroughi
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  4. Fereshteh Rajaeiramsheh
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Correspondence to Mohammadreza Davoudi.

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All procedures used in collecting survey data on which this article relies on, are in accordance with the ethical standards of the Helsinki Declaration of 1964 and subsequent amendments or ethical standards. All data were collected anonymously, and no association could be established between the questionnaires and the responders.

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Davoudi, M., Shirvani, S., Foroughi, A. et al. Online Gambling in Iranian Social Media Users: Prevalence, Related Variables and Psychiatric Correlations. J Gambl Stud 38, 397–409 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-021-10020-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-021-10020-7

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