Prevalence and correlates of problematic gambling among Danish adolescents

This study reports the findings from a national survey on gambling behaviour among Danish primary school children. A questionnaire was administered to 2,223 primary school students ranging in age from 11 to 17 years. The questionnaire contained a gambling screen (SOGS‐RA) and items that measure gambling behaviour, social network and cognitive perceptions. The prevalence of problem gambling was 1.29 per cent, while 4.5 per cent were categorised as at‐risk gamblers. The three most frequently reported reasons for gambling were to win money, to have fun and to socialise with family and friends. It is suggested that gambling may be linked to a masculine universe and that at‐risk gambling behaviour patterns may be part of a normal adolescent life in which gambling serves recreational or leisure purposes. Implications for further research and preventive measures are discussed.     

Video-Based Eye Tracking in Sex Research: A Systematic Literature Review

Although eye tracking has been used for decades, it has gained popularity in the area of sex research only recently. The aim of this article is to examine the potential merits of eye tracking for this field. We present a systematic review of the current use of video-based eye-tracking technology in this area, evaluate the findings, and identify future research opportunities. A total of 34 relevant studies published between 2006 and 2014 were identified for inclusion by means of online databases and other methods. We grouped them into three main areas of research: body perception and attractiveness, forensic research, and sexual orientation. Despite the methodological and theoretical differences across the studies, eye tracking has been shown to be a promising tool for sex research. The article suggests there is much potential for further studies to employ this technique because it is noninvasive and yet still allows for the assessment of both conscious and unconscious perceptional processes. Furthermore, eye tracking can be implemented in investigations of various theoretical backgrounds, ranging from biology to the social sciences.     

Inferring beliefs as subjectively imprecise probabilities

We propose a method for estimating subjective beliefs, viewed as a subjective probability distribution. The key insight is to characterize beliefs as a parameter to be estimated from observed choices in a well-defined experimental task and to estimate that parameter as a random coefficient. The experimental task consists of a series of standard lottery choices in which the subject is assumed to use conventional risk attitudes to select one lottery or the other and then a series of betting choices in which the subject is presented with a range of bookies offering odds on the outcome of some event that the subject has a belief over. Knowledge of the risk attitudes of subjects conditions the inferences about subjective beliefs. Maximum simulated likelihood methods are used to estimate a structural model in which subjects employ subjective beliefs to make bets. We present evidence that some subjective probabilities are indeed best characterized as probability distributions with non-zero variance.     

Planning for personal development

In this article Arne Poulsen summarizes his approach to long range planning. In 1975, owing to the recession in Denmark, there were 800 qualified engineers out of work. The Association of Danish Engineers commissioned Arne Poulsen to organize courses for them in Personal Planning and Development.He established a range of formal courses with follow-up group work. During the past 2 years over 500 engineers have attended these courses. The results have been encouraging: a substantial proportion of the participants have been able to find new jobs to re-plan their careers and adjust their life-styles.     

Mixed models for data from thorough QT studies: part 1. assessment of marginal QT prolongation

We investigate mixed models for repeated measures data from cross-over studies in general, but in particular for data from thorough QT studies. We extend both the conventional random effects model and the saturated covariance model for univariate cross-over data to repeated measures cross-over (RMC) data; the resulting models we call the RMC model and Saturated model, respectively. Furthermore, we consider a random effects model for repeated measures cross-over data previously proposed in the literature. We assess the standard errors of point estimates and the coverage properties of confidence intervals for treatment contrasts under the various models. Our findings suggest: (i) Point estimates of treatment contrasts from all models considered are similar; (ii) Confidence intervals for treatment contrasts under the random effects model previously proposed in the literature do not have adequate coverage properties; the model therefore cannot be recommended for analysis of marginal QT prolongation; (iii) The RMC model and the Saturated model have similar precision and coverage properties; both models are suitable for assessment of marginal QT prolongation; and (iv) The Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) is not a reliable criterion for selecting a covariance model for RMC data in the following sense: the model with the smallest AIC is not necessarily associated with the highest precision for the treatment contrasts, even if the model with the smallest AIC value is also the most parsimonious model.     

Ethical Considerations and Dilemmas Before,during and after Fieldwork in Less-Democratic Contexts: some Reflections from Post-Uprising Egypt

How do we conduct ethically sound social research in less- or non-democratic settings? Here, the ‘ethical guidelines,’ or ‘codes of conduct’ outlined by our professional organizations provide some, albeit only insufficient guidance. In such contexts, issues like informed consent or the avoidance of harm to research participants have to be – based on a careful analysis of the situation on the ground – operationalized. What are, considering the particular social and political context in the field, the potential risks for interviewees and the researcher, and what can be done to eliminate or at least mitigate these risks? Reflecting on extensive fieldwork on the role of the prodemocracy movement during the Egyptian Uprising of 2011 in the wake of the so-called ‘Arab Spring,’ this study illustrates how rather abstract ethical considerations can be handled practically in an environment that is characterized by increasing levels of political repression and decreasing civil liberties. It is in such contexts that a failure to carefully consider such ethical questions entails a very real risk of endangering the livelihoods and even lives of research participants. Furthermore, it is shown that these and similar issues are not only of critical importance when designing a research project, but that they might have to be revisited and renegotiated at later stages of the research process – even after the conclusion of the data collection phase. Here, questions of data protection, anonymity of informants, and the associated ‘do no harm’ principle are particularly pertinent.     

Legal gambling availability and youth gambling behaviour: A qualitative longitudinal study

In many countries, gambling has gained status as a socially accepted form of entertainment. Studies of how and to what extent young people are influenced by changes in gambling availability are relatively inconclusive, and knowledge of why youth gambling behaviours increase or decrease under changing conditions is sparse. This study addressed this situation by examining qualitatively how young people experience and respond to changes in gambling opportunities. The research presented in the article is part of a large longitudinal study of gambling behaviours among Danish adolescents. Data were collected over a period of 3 years with three waves of interviews with a 10- to12-month frequency. A number of issues were identified and these were integrated into four overarching analytical themes: legislation, conditions of entry, proximity and technological innovations. Implications for further research and policy are considered.     

Poverty and disability in Eastern and Western Cape Provinces,South Africa

The impact of disability on the living conditions of people living in specifically resource‐poor areas in South Africa has not previously been addressed. This paper presents a comparison of people with a disability and their non‐disabled peers with respect to some key poverty indicators among a sample of Xhosa speaking individuals in resource‐poor areas of Eastern and Western Cape Provinces. A questionnaire on the level of living conditions (household composition and socio‐economic characteristics) and a detailed disability questionnaire that captured more specific details of the disability experience of the individual with a disability were adapted to the South African context and utilised. Despite the improved situation of households with a disabled family member in terms of financial resources (due primarily to the allocation of disability grants), other measures of poverty (education and employment) remain divisive for those with disabilities.