Promoting Adolescent Safer Gambling Through Self-Referent Counterfactual Thinking and Knowledge of Probabilistic...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Problem gambling is a significant concern, leading to the development of safer gambling strategies (SGs).
• Existing research advocates for SGs to mitigate gambling initiation and problematic behaviors.
• Cognitive processes underlying responsible gambling (RG) in adolescents require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine cognitive processes that promote responsible gambling (RG) among adolescents in Nigeria.
• To investigate the roles of self-referent counterfactual thinking (S-RCFT) and knowledge of probabilistic outcomes (KPO) in adolescent RG.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 962 young adolescents (mean age 16.06) from a high school population in Nigeria.
• Participants completed measures assessing S-RCFT, KPO, and RG.
• Data were analyzed using Hayes PROCESS macro for mediation and moderation analysis.

Main Results:

• Both S-RCFT and KPO were positively associated with RG.
• KPO significantly moderated the relationship between S-RCFT and RG, amplifying the effect.
• This suggests KPO provides a pathway for understanding how S-RCFT influences RG.

Conclusions:

• Safer gambling interventions should encourage adolescents to take personal responsibility for their gambling behavior.
• Promoting an understanding of the random nature of gambling outcomes is crucial for fostering RG.
• Cognitive strategies, particularly S-RCFT and KPO, are key targets for promoting responsible gambling in adolescents.