Gambling Behaviors Among Danish and Swedish Elite Football Players

in Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology

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Stine Nylandsted Jensen University of Copenhagen

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Andreas Ivarsson Halmstad University

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Johan Fallby Halmstad University

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Anne-Marie Elbe University of Copenhagen

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/jcsp.2017-0021
Keywords:
depression; elite sports; match fixing; mental health; sport anxiety
In Print:
Volume 13: Issue 1
Page Range:
95–102
Restricted access

This study investigated gambling among Danish and Swedish male elite football players. A cross-sectional design was used to survey 323 players (Mage = 22.08, SD = 5.15). The survey included a screening tool for gambling, as well as measures for depression and sport anxiety. The overall rate of players identified as at-risk gamblers was 16.1%. Linear regression analyses revealed that depression and sport anxiety significantly predicted gambling behaviors, and explained 2% and 6% of variance, respectively. The age of the players and the age at which they specialize did not moderate these relationships. Further research on gambling in football and its relation to mental disorders is needed.

Jensen and Elbe are with the Dept. of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Ivarsson and Fallby are with the Center of Research on Welfare Health and Sport, Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden.

Address author correspondence to Anne-Marie Elbe at amelbe@nexs.ku.dk.
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