The impact of a problem gambling prevention class on non-gambling young men

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Author(s): Tomei, Alexander ; Richter, Marianne

Journal: Journal of Gambling Studies

Year Published: 2020

Date Added: November 27, 2019

This study looked at the impact of a problem gambling prevention class on young men who have never gambled. All participants were conscripts attending a two-day military recruitment program in Switzerland. The results showed that participants had negative representations of people who gamble problematically, regardless if they attended the prevention class or not. People who gamble problematically were mainly represented as being mentally disordered and self-centred. Participants who attended the class were even more negative than those who did not attend the class. These results suggest that problem gambling prevention programs need to consider who they are targeting. Programs may have an unintended and opposite effect on non-gamblers, such as increasing their negative views.

Citation: Tomei, A., & Richter, M. (2020). Social representations of people with gambling problems: The influence of prevention classes on non‑gamblers. Journal of Gambling Studies, 36(4), 1123-1132. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-019-09894-5

Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-019-09894-5

Keywords: attitudes ; gambling ; perceptions ; social supports

Topics: Gambling Cognitions ; Gambling Resources

Conceptual Framework Factors: Social - Stigmatization ; Social - Family and Peer Gambling Involvement ; Psychological - Judgement and Decision Making ; Social Factors

Study Design: Experimental: NRCT (non-randomized controlled trial)

Geographic Coverage: Switzerland, Lausanne

Study Population: Young males aged 18 to 25 years who self-reported that they had never gambled. All were conscripts attending a two-day military recruitment program.

Sampling Procedure: Participants were conscripts attending a two-day recruitment program at the Swiss Army Recruitment Center in Lausanne. They were part (46.8%) of a larger sample of young men who took part in a survey on gambling behaviours. The conscripts were assigned to different groups by the recruitment authority according to the program’s activities and daily schedules. Some groups attended a problem gambling prevention class, while other groups did not.

Study Funding:

No source of funding was declared for this study.