Internet gambling in problem gambling college students

Abstract

Internet gambling is popular in college students and associated with problem gambling behaviors. This study evaluated Internet gambling in 117 students participating in study evaluating brief interventions to reduce gambling; the brief interventions consisted of minimal advice, motivational enhancement therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy (1-4 sessions). Compared to their counterparts who did not gamble via the Internet (n = 60), those who reported recent Internet gambling (n = 57) wagered in greater frequencies and amounts and reported missing school more often and more problems with family and anxiety due to gambling. Recent Internet gamblers demonstrated similar reductions in gambling over time and in response to the brief interventions as non-Internet gamblers. These data suggest that Internet gambling is common in problem gambling college students, and students who wager over the Internet can benefit from brief interventions.

Figure 1

Changes in Addiction Severity Index gambling scores over time and in relation to Internet gambling status and treatment assignment. Values represent group means and standard errors. Participants with no recent Internet gambling are designated by squares, and those with recent Internet gambling are designated by circles. Participants assigned to the assessment only control condition are shown in non-filled symbols, and those assigned to a brief intervention are shown in filled symptoms. Effects of time, Internet gambling status, and treatment assignment were significant (p < .05; see text for more details).