Orestis Giotakos, George Tsouvelas, Evi Spourdalaki, Mari Janikian, Artemis Tsitsika & Antonios Vakirtzis
Pages 1-10 | Received 05 Sep 2015, Accepted 16 Oct 2016, Published online: 09 Nov 2016
International Gambling Studies
Abstract
Research has found gambling to be related to a variety of other addictive behaviours. The study objective was to evaluate the association of Internet gambling with Internet addiction, online sexual engagement, suicidality and substance use, in a sample of Greek adults. The study sample consisted of 789 military personnel. During their annual medical examination the study participants anonymously completed a series of self-reported questionnaires in relation to socio-demographic data, Internet gambling practices, online sexual engagement, Internet addiction, suicidality and psychoactive substance use. We found that Internet addiction significantly predicted engagement with online gambling, followed by substance use in general, and, in particular, the use of cocaine or heroin. Finally, two other predictive indicators were self-reported suicide attempts and engagement with online sex. Online gambling is associated with various behaviours related to impulsivity such as Internet addiction, online sexual engagement, suicidality and substance use. Future research will increase our knowledge on the contribution of new technologies and the Internet in Internet gambling dimensions, as well as on the associations with other high-risk behaviours such as substance use, pornography and suicidality.
Keywords: Internet gambling, Internet addiction, cyber-sexual engagement, suicidality, substance abuse, military personnel
;