Technology and gambling addiction among University students in Trabzon and affecting factors

Objectives:. It was aimed to evaluate technology, gambling addiction and affecting factors in university students. Material and Method:. In this cross-sectional study, 6337 people were included in the analysis. Gambling, gambling addiction (GA), internet addiction (IA), social media addiction (SMA), internet gaming disorder (IGD) were the dependent variables. Chi-square test, Binary and mutinominal Logistic regression tests were used for statistical analysis. Results: The prevalence of gambling was 21.8%, the prevalence of GA was 2.3%, the prevalence of GA in gamblers was 14.3%. The prevalence of IA was 9.5%, SMA was 33.9%, and IGD was 2.4%. Being man, high income and being offered to gamble were risk factors for gambling. Being man and receiving a gambling offer were risk factors for GA. The risk of SMA in men was lower than women, and the risk of IGD was higher. Internet use for social media, gaming, watching movies-series, communication-chatting, shopping for ≥4 hours a day was a risk factor for IA; social media use was a risk factor for SMA; gaming was a risk factor for IGD. Living in a dormitory was a risk factor for technology addiction and living in a student house was a risk factor for gambling. The risk of gambling and technology addiction differed between faculties. Attitudes towards gambling were associated with gambling and GA.. Conclusion: Studies are needed to investigate the reasons for differences in addiction outcomes between faculties and places of residence. Attitudes about gambling can be targeted in intervention studies on gambling. Students can be informed about rational use of technology.