Search

Rahapelaamisesta aiheutuu yhteiskunnallisia, yksilöllisiä ja sosiaalisia ongelmia. Rahapeliongelmien sosiaalipsykologinen tutkimus auttaa ymmärtämään rahapelaamista sosiaalisessa toimintaympäristössä. Itseohjautuvuusteoria on sosiaalipsykologinen teoria, joka selittää, miten ihmisen motivaatio elää vuorovaikutuksessa tämän sosiaalisen ympäristön kanssa. Rahapeliongelmaa on tutkittu itseohjautuvuusteorian avulla verrattain vähän, vaikka sen voi ymmärtää motivaatiojärjestelmän häiriötilana. Motivaation taustalla vaikuttavat psykologiset perustarpeet, yhteenkuuluvuus, kyvykkyys ja autonomia, joiden täyttyminen on hyvinvoinnin perusta ja joiden turhaumat ajavat jatkuessaan hakemaan helpotusta muun muassa käyttäytymismalleista, jotka voivat pitkällä tähtäimellä aiheuttaa lisää pahaa oloa. Tämän tutkielman tavoitteena on selvittää miten yhteenkuuluvuuden, kyvykkyyden ja autonomian perustarpeiden täyttyminen ja turhaumat ovat erikseen yhteydessä rahapeliongelmaan. Aineistona hyödynnetään Rahapelit digiajassa- tutkimushankkeen kyselyaineistoa. Kyselyn vastaajat olivat 18-75-vuotiaita suomalaisia (N = 1530, 50 % naisia). Analyysissä käytettiin menetelminä lineaarista regressiota ja nollilla täyttyneeseen negatiiviseen binomijakaumaan perustuvaa regressiota (eng. zero-inflated negative binomial regression). Tulosten perusteella yhteenkuuluvuuden ja kyvykkyyden turhaumat selittävät rahapeliongelman vakavuuden kasvua, ja yhteenkuuluvuuden perustarpeen täyttyminen suojaa siltä, kun rahapelihaittoja on. Autonomian täyttyminen tai turhaumat eivät selittäneet rahapeliongelman vakavuutta. Mikään perustarve ei ollut yhteydessä rahapeliongelman puuttumiseen. Sitä selittivät tilastollisesti merkitsevästi vain korkeampi ikä ja naissukupuoli, kun miessukupuoli tai nuori ikä ei vaikuttanut lisäävän rahapeliongelman vakavuutta niillä, joilla haitallista pelaamista jo oli. Ulkopuolisuuden kokeminen voi saada hakemaan seuraa tai unohdusta rahapelaamisen parista, kun yhteenkuuluvuuden kokeminen omaan sosiaaliseen ympäristöön myös hillitsee rahapeliongelman vaikeutumista. Kyvykkyyden turhaumiin liittyvä näyttämisen halu saattaa osittain selittää sitä, miksi jotkut joutuvat rahapelaamisen kierteeseen, jossa hävittyjä rahoja yritetään saada takaisin pelaamalla lisää. Näiden tulosten perusteella ongelmallinen rahapelaaminen ei vaikuttaisi kytkeytyvän autonomian perustarpeeseen. Tulokset lisäävät tärkeää tutkimustietoa psykologisten perustarpeiden roolista rahapeliongelmassa.

Loot boxes are popular random reward mechanisms in digital games, attracting players to invest real money to enhance their gaming experiences. Loot boxes share striking similarities to gambling and might contribute to one’s economic strain, but more research is needed on the underlying vulnerabilities and motivational traits in loot box purchasing. This paper examines associations with self-reported increase in loot box purchasing and debt problems during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. International survey data were collected in 2021, consisting of Finnish, Swedish, and British respondents (N = 2,991) aged 18 to 75. Partial least squares modeling was used as an analytical technique. The findings bring valuable insight into the underlying psychosocial and motivational factors in loot box purchasing and its association with indebtedness. peerReviewed

The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified several psychosocial risks and problem behaviors among vulnerable individuals. Given that gambling has high addictive potential, it is important to consider the underlying mechanisms of problem gambling. This study examined psychosocial factors associated with pandemic-time problem gambling.Cross-sectional data were gathered via an online survey of 18–75-year-old Finnish, Swedish, and British respondents (n = 2,022) who reported having gambled at least occasionally during the pandemic. Measures included problem gambling, loneliness, COVID-19 worry, social support, and psychological resilience. Control variables included gender, age, and education. Structural equation modeling was used as an analytical technique.Loneliness was found to be associated with problem gambling. While COVID-19 worry was not directly associated with problem gambling, it predicted higher loneliness, which in turn was associated with problem gambling. Evidence was not found regarding the protective role of resilience or social support in problem gambling. However, social support was found to be associated with higher problem gambling severity. Male gender and younger age were associated with problem gambling.The results bring insight into underlying vulnerabilities regarding problem gambling during the pandemic. More focus should be placed on the quality and sources of social support, as well as on how psychosocial risk and protective factors might work differently among different populations of gamblers.

This large-scale meta-analysis aimed to provide the most comprehensive synthesis to date of the available evidence from the pre-COVID period on risk and protective factors for (internet) gaming disorder (as defined in the DSM-5 or ICD-11) across all studied populations. The risk/protective factors included demographic characteristics, psychological, psychopathological, social, and gaming-related factors. In total, we have included 1586 effects from 253 different studies, summarizing data from 210557 participants. Apart from estimating these predictive associations and relevant moderating effects, we implemented state-of-the-art adjustments for publication bias, psychometric artifacts, and other forms of bias arising from the publication process. Additionally, we carried out an in-depth assessment of the quality of underlying evidence by examining indications of selective reporting, statistical inconsistencies, the typical power of utilized study designs to detect theoretically relevant effects, and performed various sensitivity analyses. The available evidence suggests the existence of numerous moderately strong and highly heterogeneous risk factors (e.g., male gender, depression, impulsivity, anxiety, stress, gaming time, escape motivation, or excessive use of social networks) but only a few empirically robust protective factors (self-esteem, intelligence, life satisfaction, and education; all having markedly smaller effect sizes). We discuss the theoretical implications of our results for prominent theoretical models of gaming disorder and for the existing and future prevention strategies. The impact of various examined biasing factors on the available evidence seemed to be modest, yet we identified shortcomings in the measurement and reporting practices. peerReviewed

Despite gaming disorder now being diagnosable by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as a new mental disorder due to addictive behaviors, little is known about the concrete reasons for which people seek treatment for their videogame play. As the current literature is mainly based on children and adolescents, there is a strong need for better understanding adult treatment-seekers in particular. This preregistered study responds to the gap in research by qualitatively investigating the reasons for treatment-seeking with 110 participants who had sought help for their videogame play from a Finnish treatment program. We applied template analysis to the open-ended data, which consist of the participants’ personal accounts regarding their problems. Additionally, we report the game titles that the participants had problems with, as well as Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGDT-10) scores, which were measured from 89 participants. The template analysis suggested five themes, which cover the main reasons for treatment-seeking: social reasons, existential reasons, practical reasons, self-perceived addiction, and wish for support. Many of these themes overlap with the ICD-11 description of gaming disorder, but several issues, such as loss of meaning and financial harms, are not part of the current diagnosis. The average IGDT-10 score among participants was 3.86 (SD = 2.55) and 37 (42%) individuals met the disorder cutoff (5.00). Numerous videogames with different designs were mentioned as sources of problems, of which 26 were mentioned more than once. The study indicates that adults seek treatment for many kinds of games and gaming-related problems, including but not limited to those, which are described part of the ICD-11 gaming disorder diagnoses. We recommend both researchers and practitioners to implement an expanded perspective on gaming behaviors, acknowledging that adults may seek treatment for diverse gaming-related problems, some of which not necessarily relevant to gaming disorder or mental disorders in general. peerReviewed

Researchers are disincentivized from conducting urgently needed qualitative research, argues Veli-Matti Karhulahti. He recommends the adoption of registered reports for qualitative research as a remedial course of action. nonPeerReviewed

Gaming-related health problems have been researched since the 1980s with numerous different ontologies as reference systems, from self-assessed ‘game addiction’ to ‘pathological gambling’ (in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM]-IV), ‘internet gaming disorder’ (in the third section of the DSM-5) and most recently ‘gaming disorder’ (in the International Classification of Diseases [ICD]-11). Our goal was to investigate how screening instruments that derive from different ontologies differ in identifying associated problem groups. By using four central screening instruments, each representing a different ontological basis, we hypothesized differences and similarities in prevalence, overlap, and health. A nationally representative (N = 8217) sample of Finnish participants was collected. The screening instruments produced significantly different prevalence rates (from 0.4% to 6.9%) and the binomial probabilities of group overlap ranged from poor (0.419) to good (0.919). Expectedly, the problem groups had lower mental health than the general population, yet exploratory analyses implied equivalent or significantly higher physical health. We also found strong exploratory evidence for mischievous responding to complicate the measurement of gaming problems. Considering that several major differences were confirmed between the four gaming problem constructs, we recommend researchers to clearly define their construct of interest, i.e. whether they are studying the ICD-11 based official mental disorder, the DSM-5 proposed ‘internet gaming disorder’, or other gaming problems—especially in future meta-analyses.

Background: The uncertain and stressful global situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to cause anxiety and impact people's mental health. Simultaneously, social distancing policies have isolated people from their normal social interactions. These societal changes have inevitably influenced gambling and gaming practices, and many people may have turned to betting or gaming as a means of social exchange. This study examined the influence of COVID-19 anxiety on increased mental health problems and their relationship to gambling and gaming problems. The mediating role of social motives for gambling and gaming was also investigated. Material and methods: Finnish adults (N = 1530; Mage = 46.67; 50.33% male) were recruited from a volunteer participant panel to participate in a survey study. COVID-19 anxiety was assessed using a scale adapted from the Spielberger State–Trait Anxiety Inventory. Mental health problems were evaluated with the five-item Mental Health Inventory. Gambling problems were measured using the Problem Gambling Severity Index, and gaming problems were measured with the Internet Gaming Disorder Test. Social motives for gaming were evaluated using a single-item measure. Analyses used generalised structural equation modelling. Results: COVID-19 anxiety predicted increased mental health problems, which were associated with heightened gambling and gaming problems. Social motives for gambling and gaming were a significant mediator, suggesting that gambling and gaming problems are emphasized markedly among those who are socially motivated by and involved in such games. Conclusions: Mental health problems experienced during the pandemic and the social properties of games might accentuate gambling and gaming problems. publishedVersion

nonPeerReviewed

Purpose of Review The internet and virtual environments have enabled the formation of online communities around a variety of interests. Online communities focused on gambling are increasingly popular and attract users to interact and share ideas and experiences with likeminded others. This study reviews evidence from the latest research examining the role of online communities in gambling behaviors and gambling problems. Recent Findings A systematic literature search resulted in 17 studies. Research shows that online communities are used for diverse reasons like discussing gambling experiences and problems, sharing tips, and celebrating winnings with others. These reasons of online community use can have both adaptive and maladaptive implications. Online gambling communities often grow through social means by inviting friends or social media contacts to join. Active users of online gambling communities are more likely at-risk or problem gamblers. Summary Online communities have an increasingly central role in learning about gambling, continuing, and spreading of gambling behaviors. Participation in communities that support harmful gambling habits involves risks for problem gambling.

The recent inclusion of gaming disorder in the ICD-11 as a mental disorder has further increased the importance of researching the health spectrum related to gaming. A critical area in this regard is the lack of clarity concerning the differences between gaming disorder and intensive play, the latter of which often involves several gaming hours per day without related health problems. In this study, we approached the above question by interpretive phenomenological analysis with interviews in two groups of highly involved videogame players: those who seek or have sought clinical help for their problems with gaming (n=6), and those who play esports more than 4 hours per day without self-reported related health problems (n=10). The interviews were carried out by using a new Phenomenology of Play (POP) interview frame. These data were contextualized with interviews of medical experts (n=6) who have experience of working with the former group. The findings imply that experiences of disorder derive from gaming interfering with what one wants to be, do, and have throughout life, whereas the experiences of intensive esport play derive from gaming being integrated into self throughout life. To our knowledge, this was the first registered report using qualitative phenomenological methods—we encourage researchers to explore the utility of registered reports with other qualitative methods to further optimize scientific progress. peerReviewed

Problem gambling among young people is an emerging trend globally. The online environment in particular offers various possibilities for gambling engagement. This is the first cross-national survey study using the social ecological model to analyze problem gambling, especially in the online context. The study aimed to analyze how different social ecological spheres explain problem gambling. Participants were young people aged 15–25 in the United States (n = 1212), South Korea (n = 1192), Spain (n = 1212), and Finland (n = 1200). The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) instrument measured problem gambling. The regression models analyzed problem gambling with measures of intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, and societal spheres. Spanish participants had the highest SOGS score for problem gambling. In all countries, the variations in problem gambling were best explained by the organizational sphere measures (26%) when compared to the intrapersonal (11%), interpersonal (5%), and societal (3%) spheres. In the full model, the organizational sphere measures had strong associations with problem gambling. These included consumer debt, online gambling community participation, online casino participation, and exposure to online pop-up advertisements. Problem gambling was also associated with conformity to group norms in the interpersonal sphere, and male gender and impulsivity in the intrapersonal sphere. Cross-national results were similar in different countries. Within the final model, gambling community participation had the strongest association with problem gambling (β = 0.23, p &lt, 0.001). The online context plays a major role in problem gambling behavior. The social ecological model is a useful tool for tackling problem gambling and developing preventative measures.

Background and aims: Loneliness and a low sense of mastery are associated with excessive gambling, but the underlying processes of these relationships remain unstudied. Because psychological distress can increase vulnerability to excessive gambling, we investigated its mediating role in these relationships among young people. To meet the need for cross-country research, we also observed how these relationships occur in four countries with different cultures. Design, setting, and participants: Demographically balanced cross-sectional survey data were collected from 15–25-year-olds in Finland (n = 1200, 50% male), the United States (n = 1212, 49.8% male), South Korea (n = 1192, 49.6% male), and Spain (n = 1212, 51.2% male). Measurements: Excessive gambling was measured with the South Oaks Gambling Screen, psychological distress was assessed with the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, loneliness was measured with the three-item Loneliness Scale, and low sense of mastery was assessed with the Pearlin Mastery Scale. Associations were examined first using zero-inflated negative binomial regression analyses with excessive gambling as the outcome. In addition, path analyses were performed to study how loneliness and low sense of mastery relate to excessive gambling, with psychological distress as the mediating variable. Findings: Loneliness and low sense of mastery were associated indirectly with excessive gambling via psychological distress in all country samples. Low sense of mastery was also directly associated with excessive gambling. There was a direct association between loneliness and excessive gambling only in samples from South Korea and Spain. Conclusions: Psychological distress is an important factor in understanding how loneliness and sense of mastery relate to gambling.

nonPeerReviewed

Tämä tutkimus tarkastelee rahapeliriippuvuudesta toipumista. Tarkastelussa on, mitä tarinoissa kerrotaan rahapeliriippuvuuden toipumisen käännekohdista ja keinoista. Lisäksi tarkastellaan, mitä annettavaa näillä edellä mainituilla on sosiaalityön käytäntöihin. Tutkimuksen aineisto koostuu kuudestatoista tarinasta, jotka kerättiin kirjoituspyynnön avulla. Teoreettisena viitekehyksenä on narratiivisuus. Lisäksi taustateoriaa on rahapeliriippuvuudesta. Tutkimuksessa pyritään samaan ymmärrystä rahapeliriippuvuudesta toipumisesta, joten narratiivisuus sopii hyvin taustateoriaksi. Tarkoitus on saada kuuluviin niiden ääni, jotka ovat selvinneet rahapeliriippuvuudesta. Tutkimustuloksissa selviää, että tarinoissa kerrotaan sekä rahapeliriippuvuuden toipumisen käännekohdista että toipumiskeinoista. Käännekohdat nimetään ymmärrykseksi riippuvuudesta, paljastumiseksi, peloksi jostain ja ajatukseksi siitä, että pelaamisen on loputtava. Tarinoista analysoituja rahapeliriippuvuuden toipumiskeinoja ovat retkahdusten kautta kohti lopullista toipumista, tunteiden käsittelyn opettelu, identiteetin uudelleen rakentaminen, uuden sisällön saaminen elämään, läheisten merkitys, vertaistuki ja ammattiapu sekä pelaamisen estäminen ulkopuolisin keinoin. Tutkimuksen johtopäätöksenä on, että rahapeliriippuvuuden ymmärrys edesauttaa toipumista sekä mahdollistaa auttamisen. On tärkeää, että toipuja saa tarkastella koko pelihistoriaansa uuden minäkuvan rakentamisen tukena. Ammattilaiset voivat vaikuttaa positiivisesti empaattisella ja ymmärtäväisellä kohtaamisella toipujan muutoshaluun. Sosiaalityön käytännöissä ymmärrystä voidaan lisätä esimerkiksi tutustumalla rahapeliriippuvaisten tarinoihin. Sosiaalityön koulutukseen olisi hyvä lisätä tietoa rahapeliriippuvuudesta ja hyödyntää olemassa olevaa kokemusasiantuntijuutta.

Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan rahapeleillä velkaantuneiden ongelmapelaajien arkista järkeilyä ja siihen kuuluvia heuristiikoita. Arkisen järkeilyn muotoja on kuvailtu talouden hallinnan, pelaamisen hallinnan ja hoitoon hakeutumisen kontekstissa. Aineisto kerättiin teemahaastat-teluilla, joita tehtiin kasvokkain, puhelimitse, sähköpostilla ja pikaviestinohjelmalla sekä verkkolomakkeella. Tutkimus on luonteeltaan laadullinen ja aineisto muodostuu 14 teema-haastattelusta ja 332 verkkolomakevastauksesta. Analyysin pohjana toimi teemakortisto ja sen päälle rakentuivat tutkijan fenomenologiseen tulkintaan perustuvat päätelmät tutkittavi-en arkitiedon rakentumisesta. Tutkimuksen perusteella velkaantuneiden ongelmapelaajien talouden suunnittelu on yhtä olematonta kuin muillakin ylivelkaantuneilla. Taloudellisen suunnittelun puuttuminen ja pelirahojen sekoittuminen talousrahoihin velkaannuttavat taloutta, joko suoraan pelaamises-ta syntyvän velkaantumisen myötä tai sen takia, että velkaantumisella paikataan talouden hoitoon käytettävien rahojen vajetta. Velkaantuminen ei johdu puutteista tutkittavien arki-tiedossa tai yllättävistä käänteistä tutkittavien elämässä, vaan heuristiikoista, jotka johtavat peliongelmaiset syvempään ylivelkaantumiseen kasvavasta rahapelikulutuksesta johtuen. Ylivelkaantumisen taustalla ovat velkojen hallitseminen uudella velkaantumisella, yritys voittaa hävittyjä rahoja takaisin ja ratkaisun etsiminen taloudelliseen ahdinkoon pelivoitois-ta. Ylivelkaantumisen kokemisen seurauksena käyttöön otettiin resurssien kohdentamisen heuristiikkoja. Tällöin tutkittavat saattoivat vaihtaa paremmin hallittavaan rahapeliin, karsi-vat kaikesta muusta kulutuksesta kuin rahapeleistä, hankkivat lisätuloja tai eriyttivät peli-kassan talouskassastaan. Useilla tutkittavilla talouden tasapainottamiseen kohdistuneet toi-met eivät onnistuneet, jolloin siirryttiin pelin hallinnan heuristiikkoihin. Pelaamisen rajoit-tamiseksi nähtiin vaihtoehtoina pelipaikkojen välttely, oman rahan käytön säännöstely tai ongelman pakeneminen. Avunhakemisen sijaan tutkimuksessa tuli esille avun hakematta jättämisen järkeily. Apua ei haettu useimmiten johtuen tutkittavien kokemasta häpeästä. Tutkittavien avun hakeminen liittyi ulkoiseen pakkoon esimerkiksi läheisten toimesta. Vastuu arkisesta järkeilystä luovu-tettiin tässä vaiheessa usein läheisille. Omatoimista parantumista tukivat resurssien kohden-tamisen ja pelaamisen hallinnan heuristiikkojen lisäksi vertaistuki, joka haluttiin häpeän vuoksi hakea anonyymisti, esimerkiksi internetin keskustelupalstoilla.