Anagnostopoulos DC, et al. - A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate adolescents’ gambling involvement in Athens region to determine the prevalence of its problematic form and to identify its risk/protective factors. Based on the results of the present study, gambling behavior among adolescents constituted a problem in Greece and highlighted the need for designing and implementing appropriate preventive interventions, particularly amid the ongoing financial crisis.

Methods

• An aggregate of two thousand, one hundred forty-one students were enrolled from a representative sample of 51 schools located in greater Athens area.
• The presence of problem gambling was surveyed using the DSM-IV-MR-J questionnaire.
• Information were gathered in the form of a self-reported questionnaire during one school hour.

Results

• According to the findings obtained, 1-year prevalence of high severity problem gambling was found to be 5.6%.
• Regarding the risk factors for problem gambling; male gender, parental engagement with gambling activities, living without the parents, low grades at school, foreign nationality and the referent absence of availability of food in the household, amplified the risk of suffering from the disorder.