DSM-IV-J Criteria: A Scoring Error That May Be Modifying the Estimates of Pathological Gambling Among Youths

Previous studies have shown that prevalence rates among youths may be inflated due to a problem in understanding the questions of the SOGS-RA and DSM-IV-MR-J. This article reports another reason why prevalence rates of pathological gambling among youths may be inflated. In 1992, Fisher proposed 9 criteria (the DSM-IV-J) for diagnosing pathological gambling among youths, and formulated 12 questions (the Test questions) to identify the presence of these criteria. An analysis of a sample of studies using the DSM-IV-J reveals that some researchers have incorrectly used the 12 Test questions instead of the 9 criteria, which may have led to overestimated prevalence rates among youths. Other measurement issues may also be contributing to the overestimation of problem gambling in young people. The methodological implications of these issues are discussed.     

An Explicit Formula for the Risk of the Positive-Part James-Stein Estimator

When estimating a normal mean vector with variance known up to a multiplicative factor, it is well known that the positive-part James-Stein estimator is not admissible, but until now, no one has been able to exhibit a uniformly better estimator. We propose here an explicit formula for the risk of the positive-part James-Stein estimator.     

Does a Brochure About Pathological Gambling Provide New Information?

The purpose of the present study is to evaluate whether a brochure on pathological gambling provides new information and knowledge to the general population. A total of 115 randomly chosen people from shopping malls and municipal parks were randomly distributed to control and experimental groups. Results indicated that the brochure provided new information concerning problem gambling, at risk behaviors, and the availability of specialised help.     

Brief Communications Analysis of a Casino's Self-Exclusion Program

As gambling facilities become more available, the number of pathological gamblers increases. Effective therapeutic and preventive interventions should be developed and systematically evaluated. Self-exclusion programs may be a useful means to facilitate self-control among problem gamblers. This paper describes the characteristics of individuals who decided to bar themselves from a Canadian casino. Two hundred twenty individuals participated in the present study and completed a questionnaire including four sections: (1) socio-demographic data, (2) the South Oaks Gambling Screen, (3) gambling habits, and (4) prior experiences with the self-exclusion program. According to the SOGS, 95% of the participants were classified as severe pathological gamblers on the SOGS (Mean score = 9.87). Furthermore, based on self-reported observation, 30% of the participants completely stopped gambling once enrolled in this program. No one scored within the interval of non-problem gamblers. Suggestions to improve self-exclusion programs are discussed.     

Si-GARCH: Construction and validation of a new method for the detection of breaking points in models

In this article, we define a new method (Si-GARCH) for signal segmentation based on a class of models coming from econometrics. We make use of these models not to perform prediction but to characterize portions of signals. This enables us to compare these portions in order to determine if there is a change in the signal’s dynamics and to define breaking points with an aim of segmenting it according to its dynamics. We, then, expand these models by defining a new coefficient to improve their accuracy. The Si-GARCH method was tested on several thousands of hours of biomedical signals coming from intensive care units.     

Marginalisation processes in inclusive education in Norway: a longitudinal study of classroom participation

The aim of this paper is to describe the classroom participation of primary school children with disabilities who attend regular schools in Norway; to explore how relations between children with disabilities and their environment change, and further to chart how schools act in response to such change. The analyses are based on a life course study with data gathered from interviews and questionnaires given to the parents of children with disabilities born in the period between 1993 and 1995. The results show an increasing marginalisation of children with disabilities who receive their primary school education at regular schools. Despite the fact that public policies in Norway are based on a relational understanding of disability, thus suggesting that educators would make considerable efforts to accommodate children with disabilities in regular schools, the reality is that schools take an individual approach to children with disabilities which reflects a medical understanding of disability.     

Spatial Barriers and the Formation of Global Art Cities: The Case of Tokyo

This paper addresses a neglected dimension of global cities research: how the idea of economic concentration, its surplus and consequent global influence can be applied to the art world. The research presented here relates to Tokyo as a well‐known example of a global city, advancing existing understandings of Tokyo from the neglected perspective of the arts. Based on qualitative and quantitative research by the author, including cultural and spatial mapping, interviews, ethnographic observations and visual documents, the findings confirm that the role of space and materiality is overlooked in global cities research. The results demonstrate the active contribution and intervention of spatial patterns in the formation of artistic activities. A number of Tokyo's spatial features have an inhibiting effect that shifts artistic activities underground, creating asymmetries in the constitution of symbolic meanings in the city and a failure to openly stimulate artistic practices. As a consequence, Tokyo's vivid art world remains invisible not only to outsiders but to Tokyo itself.     

Impact of the Format,Arrangement and Availability of Electronic Gaming Machines Outside Casinos on Gambling

Abstract

This study evaluates the influence of the format, arrangement and availability of Electronic Gaming Machines Outside Casinos (EGMOC) on gambling behaviour and perceptions. Two studies comprising occasional, at-risk and probable pathological gamblers were conducted. The first study used focus groups, while the second was conducted in a laboratory setting reproducing a bar. The results of the former study indicate that while format does not influence gambling behaviours, the arrangement of EGMOC in a gambling setting is a critical factor: in general, gamblers perceive isolated areas in a gambling venue as a factor contributing to impaired control. However, behavioural results obtained in the laboratory setting do not corroborate subjective data. Finally, gamblers suggested almost unanimously that the availability of EGMOC should be limited to a small number of sites. The results are discussed in the perspective of responsible gambling policies.