Despite the restrictions to gamble for youth, prevalence studies report that a large number of adolescents are involved in gambling activities and that they are at higher risk for developing gambling problems compared to adults. Some cross-sectional studies revealed that adolescent problem gamblers are more prone to mistaken views about randomness when compared with non-problem gamblers, and they held erroneous beliefs about their chance of winning. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a school-based preventive intervention aimed to modify gambling-related distortions on at-risk adolescents, focusing the training activity on the concept of probability. Participants were 72 adolescents (89% males, mean age=16.87, SD=1.14 years) attending technical high school in a neighborhood of Florence (Italy). An experimental design was conducted with two Groups (Training vs. No Training), and two measurement times (pre-test and post-test sessions). Participants were randomly assigned to each group. After 1 week from the pre-test, the intervention began with the first didactic unit which was aimed at introducing the concept of probability, in particular the independence of random events and equiprobable and non-equiprobable random events. The intervention was attended only by the Training group. After 1 week, there was the second didactic unit, which was focused on reasoning in probabilistic terms inside cold and hot contexts. After another week, the post-test was administered to both the groups. Results showed a significant interaction between Groups and Time (F (1,54) = 8.14, p = .006, ƞ²p = .170). Adolescents who attended the intervention reported a significant reduction of gambling-related distortions. Findings suggest that teaching probability is effective in reducing the susceptibility to gambling-related distortions by acting on the reasoning competencies useful to reduce the susceptibility to erroneous cognitions about gambling with regards to personal control on gambling outcomes.
How can probability reasoning protect adolescents from problem gambling? / Caterina Primi; Maria Anna Donati. - ELETTRONICO. - (2021), pp. 1-9. (Intervento presentato al convegno 14th International Conference on Mathematical Education).
How can probability reasoning protect adolescents from problem gambling?
Caterina Primi;Maria Anna Donati
2021
Abstract
Despite the restrictions to gamble for youth, prevalence studies report that a large number of adolescents are involved in gambling activities and that they are at higher risk for developing gambling problems compared to adults. Some cross-sectional studies revealed that adolescent problem gamblers are more prone to mistaken views about randomness when compared with non-problem gamblers, and they held erroneous beliefs about their chance of winning. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a school-based preventive intervention aimed to modify gambling-related distortions on at-risk adolescents, focusing the training activity on the concept of probability. Participants were 72 adolescents (89% males, mean age=16.87, SD=1.14 years) attending technical high school in a neighborhood of Florence (Italy). An experimental design was conducted with two Groups (Training vs. No Training), and two measurement times (pre-test and post-test sessions). Participants were randomly assigned to each group. After 1 week from the pre-test, the intervention began with the first didactic unit which was aimed at introducing the concept of probability, in particular the independence of random events and equiprobable and non-equiprobable random events. The intervention was attended only by the Training group. After 1 week, there was the second didactic unit, which was focused on reasoning in probabilistic terms inside cold and hot contexts. After another week, the post-test was administered to both the groups. Results showed a significant interaction between Groups and Time (F (1,54) = 8.14, p = .006, ƞ²p = .170). Adolescents who attended the intervention reported a significant reduction of gambling-related distortions. Findings suggest that teaching probability is effective in reducing the susceptibility to gambling-related distortions by acting on the reasoning competencies useful to reduce the susceptibility to erroneous cognitions about gambling with regards to personal control on gambling outcomes.I documenti in FLORE sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.