Association between problematic social media use, problematic online gaming, and problem gambling in Latvian adolescents​

Objectives: Problematic behaviours are emerging public health issue that may have negative impact on adolescent well-being. Little research has been done to determine whether problematic behaviours coexist in adolescents, and it is unknown what the situation in Latvia is. The aim of the study was to analyse the prevalence of problematic social media use, problematic online gaming and problem gambling and comorbidity of these behaviours among adolescents in Latvia. Materials and Methods: Data from nationally representative sample of Latvian adolescents aged 15-16 were used (n=2584) that were collected within the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other drugs (ESPAD) in 2019. Problematic behaviours were assessed using “Self-perceived problems related to Social Media” scale, “Problematic Online Gaming Questionnaire Short-Form” and “Consumption Screen for Problem Gambling”. Comorbidity was illustrated using Venn diagrams. Results: A total of 50.1% (95%CI 48.1-52.1) of adolescents were problematic social media users, 8.7% (7.7-9.9) were problematic online gamers and 11.5% (10.3-12.8) were problem gamblers. 1.2% adolescents reported all three problematic behaviours, boys more than girls (p<0.01). 4.1% (3.3-4.9) reported cooccurrence of problematic social media use and problematic gaming, 3.8% (3.1-4.6) reported problematic social media use and problem gambling, and 0.9% (0.6-1.4) had problem gambling and problematic gaming. Conclusions: While only small part of adolescents have problems with all three behaviours, in group of boys comorbidity is more prevalent.