A Model to Explain At Risk/Problem Gambling among Male and Female Adolescents: Gender Similarities and Differences.

The study aimed at testing a model in which cognitive, dispositional, and social factors were considered into an integrative perspective as predictors of gambling behavior, and at providing further evidence of gender differences related to adolescent gambling. Participants were 994 Italian adolescents (64% Males; Mean age=16.57). Hierarchical logistic regressions attested the predictive power of the considered factors on at risk/problem gambling - measured administering the South Oaks Gambling Screen-Revised for Adolescents (SOGS-RA) - in both boys and girls. Sensation seeking and superstitious thinking were consistent predictors across gender, while probabilistic reasoning ability, gambling economic perception and peer gambling behavior were found to be predictors only among male adolescents, and parental gambling behavior had a predictive power in female adolescents. Findings were discussed referring to practical implications for preventive efforts towards adolescents’ gambling problems.