José Luis Carballo

Gambling self-efficacy is a key construct in understanding gambling behavior and behavior change. This study examined (i) differences between individuals with low and high gambling self-efficacy and (ii) tested whether gambling self-efficacy moderated the associations between impulsivity, gambling-related cognitive distortions, and problem gambling severity. Data were drawn from a cross-sectional web-based survey of 1429 Spanish adults aged 18–64. Analyses focused on the 921 who had engaged in gambling activities during the previous 12 months (mean age = 40 years, SD = 12.1, 52.2% men). Measures included sociodemographic characteristics, gambling self-efficacy (BSCQ-G), problem gambling severity (PGSI), impulsivity (UPPS-P), gambling-related cognitive distortions (Labrador’s cognitive distortion scale), and gambling involvement indicators. Participants were classified into low (BSCQ-G < 80%; 51.5%; n = 474) and high (BSCQ-G ≥ 80%; 48.5%; n = 447) gambling self-efficacy groups. Individuals with low self-efficacy showed broader and more intensive gambling involvement, including greater participation in gambling-like activities, and higher scores on PGSI, impulsivity, and gambling-related cognitive distortions. In moderation models adjusted for gambling involvement indicators, the association between impulsivity and PGSI was weaker at higher levels of gambling self-efficacy, although the incremental variance explained was very small (ΔR² = 0.0024). The interaction between gambling self-efficacy and cognitive distortions was not statistically supported. These findings suggest that gambling self-efficacy is associated with gambling risk profiles among adults who gamble and may play a modest buffering role in the association between impulsivity and gambling severity.

La digitalización del juego ha favorecido la expansión de productos análogos al juego de azar en espacios como los videojuegos y las plataformas de inversión financiera. Aunque estas prácticas comparten mecanismos estructurales y perfiles de riesgo con el juego de azar, la evidencia sobre su relación con el daño asociado y su papel conjunto en la predicción de la gravedad del juego sigue siendo limitada. Este estudio analizó si la participación reciente (últimos 60 días) en estas actividades, junto con las formas tradicionales de juego, se asocia con la gravedad del juego (PGSI) y el daño relacionado (SGHS). La muestra procede de un ensayo controlado aleatorizado (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT06681103), del que se emplearon únicamente los datos de la evaluación inicial previos a la intervención. Se reclutaron 1.889 jóvenes de 18–34 años residentes en España, de los cuales el 53,9 % (n=1.018) había participado recientemente en actividades de juego o análogas, conformando la muestra analizada. Ambos indicadores se modelaron mediante regresión ordinal jerárquica ajustada por implicación global (frecuencia y número de actividades) y sociodemográficas. Las asociaciones con la gravedad se mantuvieron tras todos los ajustes, con OR ajustadas (ORa) entre 1,9 y 3,6 (p<0,01), destacando las apuestas en videojuegos y el trading de materias primas, con magnitudes similares a las observadas para máquinas tragaperras, casino y apuestas deportivas. En el SGHS, solo las apuestas en eSports y el trading de materias primas (ORa=2,23, p<0,05) conservaron su asociación con un mayor número de daños tras el ajuste sociodemográfico, mientras que las loterías mostraron asociaciones inversas con ambos indicadores (ORa=0,58 en PGSI, y ORa=0,56 en SGHS, p<0,05). Los resultados subrayan la necesidad de incorporar estas nuevas formas de gasto digital en la detección y prevención del daño asociado al juego entre jóvenes adultos.

Background: Despite the availability of treatment options, help-seeking rates among individuals with gambling problems remain low. To reach a broader population of those affected by disordered gambling, online and self-guided interventions have been developed. Personalized normative feedback (PNF) is one of the most widely used strategies for preventing gambling issues among young adults. However, most studies on PNF efficacy focus solely on its impact on the intensity and severity of gambling behavior, without exploring its potential to increase intention to change and help-seeking behaviors. Furthermore, there is a lack of studies assessing the efficacy of PNF in addressing emerging online gambling-like behaviors, such as betting within video games or excessive financial trading of high-risk assets (eg, cryptocurrencies), which have been linked to gambling disorder. Objective: This study aims to (1) quantify intention to change and the prevalence of help-seeking behaviors in young adults in Spain with disordered gambling or trading behaviors and (2) assess the efficacy of online PNF in increasing these behaviors. Methods: A randomized controlled trial using a Solomon 3-group design was conducted with a sample of emerging adults aged 18 to 34 years. The study included 3 assessments: a pretest, an immediate posttest, and a 12-week follow-up assessment. Participants were randomized into 1 of 3 conditions, with the intervention group receiving online PNF. The primary outcomes were intention to change and help-seeking behaviors. Secondary outcomes included gambling and trading behaviors (intensity, frequency, and severity) and their longitudinal trajectories. Individual, interpersonal, and contextual factors will be assessed to identify the profile of individuals most likely to benefit from this intervention. Results: The study was funded in December 2023 by the Spanish Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and 2030 Agenda (SUBV23/00004) and approved by the Ethics Committee of the Miguel Hernández University. The first study assessment was conducted between December 2024 and January 2025. A total of 1889 people completed the eligibility assessment, of whom 1112 (58.9%) met the inclusion criteria (gambling or trading within the past 60 days) and were enrolled in the trial. The 12-week follow-up was finalized in March 2025, with 666 completing the final assessment (59.9% retention). Data collection has been completed, statistical analyses are ongoing, and primary results are expected to be published in March 2026. Conclusions: By examining motivational outcomes rather than behavioral change alone, this trial addresses a key gap in the literature on digital interventions for gambling-related harm. Findings are expected to inform the development of scalable prevention and early intervention strategies targeting gambling and gambling-like behaviors in young adults.

Despite the development of multiple gambling-related self-efficacy measures, their validation has often been conducted in convenience or clinical samples, limiting their generalizability to the broader gambling population. This gap is particularly relevant given that most individuals with gambling problems do not seek treatment, highlighting the need for tools that can be applied in both clinical and nonclinical settings. This study aimed to validate the Brief Situational Confidence Questionnaire for Gambling (BSCQ-G), a 10-item adaptation of the Brief Situational Confidence Questionnaire, for assessing gambling-related self-efficacy. Data were drawn from a nationwide online survey of 1,429 Spanish adults (aged 18-64 years). Analyses were conducted on a subsample of 921 individuals who reported past-year gambling. The BSCQ-G demonstrated excellent reliability (α and ω = 0.98), and a unidimensional structure was confirmed via exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Measurement invariance was confirmed across age, sex, and gambling modality, indicating its applicability across diverse populations of gamblers. Importantly, its invariance across problem gambling severity levels measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index (nonproblem: Problem Gambling Severity Index scores of 0-4 vs. problem gambling: Problem Gambling Severity Index scores of 5-27) reinforces its potential application in identifying and monitoring self-efficacy in individuals at varying levels of gambling risk. BSCQ-G scores ≥ 80% exhibited a sensitivity of 93.5% and specificity of 51.6% for identifying individuals with nonproblem gambling. Concurrent validity was supported through negative correlations with gambling frequency, expenditure, and problem gambling severity. The BSCQ-G is a brief, psychometrically robust tool for assessing self-efficacy in high-risk situations, offering utility in both research and clinical contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Introduction: The use of alcohol is a prevalent phenomenon among adolescents. Several brief intervention strategies have been developed to prevent the progression of alcohol use to high-risk levels. The consumer profile, including whether they have consumed one or more substances, may be a key variable in analyzing the effectiveness of interventions.Methods: This study consists in a secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial (PREVENALC) to examine the effectiveness of a brief intervention based on the Guided Self-Change Program (GSC) and its interaction with substance use profile. Participants were the 629 students in the experimental arm of PREVENALC who received the GSC and completed the pretest, posttest, and 6-moth follow-up measures. The sample was categorized into two groups according to substance use profile: Group of Alcohol Users (GA) (n = 438, 76.8%) and Group of Alcohol and Cannabis Users (GAC) (n = 144, 23.2%). Alcohol consumption (Standard Drinking Units (SDUs), binge episodes and days of abstinence) and problematic drinking were considered as primary variables. Readiness to change and self-efficacy were considered as secondary variables.Results: Overall, GAC students demonstrated higher rates of alcohol consumption and lower levels of readiness to change at baseline. Both groups reduced the total amount of alcohol, binge drinking episodes and problematic drinking and increased the percentage days of abstinence in the last month. Nevertheless, GAC reduced the amount of alcohol in the last month more significantly than GA. However, the GAC did not maintain improvements in terms of the percentage of days of abstinence in the medium term.Discussion: Future research should consider substance use profiles when evaluating the efficacy of interventions. Furthermore, large sample designs, control groups and longer follow-ups are required.

Background and Aims: There is growing evidence regarding the overlap between trading behaviors and gambling. However, problematic trading behaviors are often assessed using gambling-related instruments, which may not fully capture the nuances of trading. The present study developed and evaluated the psychometric properties of the Trading Disorder Scale (TDS), grounded in in the research criteria proposed by Guglielmo et al. (2016), based on DSM-5 criteria for gambling disorder and internet gaming disorder. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered to 403 Spanish amateur traders. The TDS was tested for reliability, validity, and factorial structure. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify patterns of disordered trading. Results: EFA and CFA supported a one-factor solution for the TDS, which showed strong internal consistency (ω _{u -cat} = 0.938, KR-20 = 0.877). The scale showed good concurrent validity with PGSI ( r = 0.559) and good convergent validity with trading-related variables. LCA identified three classes: non-disordered trading (72.2%), at-risk trading (17.6%), and disordered trading (10.2%). Individuals in the disordered trading group scored higher on TDS, traded more frequently, monitored markets more intensively, and exhibited higher rates of problem gambling (PGSI≥5), impulsivity, and substance use. Guglielmo's cut-off point (≥5 criteria) effectively differentiated individuals with disordered trading behaviors from those at-risk and those without disordered trading. Conclusions: The TDS is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing disordered trading among amateur investors. Further research is needed to explore the scale's predictive validity.

Most individuals with addictive behaviors either persist in their substance use or do not seek treatment. To address this issue, the present article introduces brief interventions (BIs) as a treatment alternative to promote change. BIs originate from natural recovery research, which explores why some people do not seek treatment and how they manage to change on their own. BIs consist of a set of therapeutic strategies designed primarily to motivate and support individuals in considering changes to behaviors that pose health risks. BIs can be categorized into minimal (3 to 10 minutes of counseling), standard (four very brief sessions), and extended (up to 12 sessions) formats. Research has shown BIs to be effective not only in initiating and sustaining behavior change but also in improving treatment adherence. This article presents some of the key techniques used in BIs, focusing on increasing motivation, conducting a functional analysis of substance use, increasing self-efficacy, and training coping skills to prevent relapse. By normalizing change and making treatment more accessible, BIs play a crucial role in improving treatment effectiveness and its outcomes.

Background: While smoking has been associated with alertness, it has also been reported as a stress relief and sleep aid. However, evidence on tobacco self-medication to improve sleep remains limited, particularly among adolescents. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of tobacco self-medication in adolescents and analyze the association with sleep quality. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 1,121 Spanish adolescents (mean age = 16.2 ± 0.7; 57.1% female) from public secondary schools. Participants completed assessments on their sleep quality and Cigarette Use. Analysis of variance and multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results: Among adolescents, 5.4% (n = 61) reported smoking cigarettes as a sleep aid in the past month, accounting for a third of those who had smoked in that timeframe (19.9%; n = 225). Adolescents smoking cigarettes for self-medication showed significantly higher cigarette consumption compared to those with past-month use only (mean diff. = 2.1; η² = .10) and longer regular use (mean diff. = 6.9 months; η² = .08). Self-medication was associated with poorer sleep quality, shorter sleep, longer sleep onset latency, and frequent nighttime awakenings. Adolescents experiencing poor sleep and frequent awakenings had twice the likelihood of using tobacco as a sleep aid in the past month (OR = 2.1 and OR = 2.2, respectively). Conclusions: This study brings attention to adolescent self-medication practices and their associations with poor sleep outcomes. Findings underscore the need for further investigation into self-medication with implications for prevention strategies during adolescence.