The Efficacy of Choice Theory to Identify At-Risk Gambling Behavior in College Students

Tracy Poe
2019 Open Access Journal of Addiction and Psychology  
Introduction Gambling is defined as "risking something of value with the anticipation of gaining something of more value" American Psychiatric Association [5] and is a behavioral condition which does not involve ingesting substances. According to Glasser W [6], behavior is intentional, purposeful, and based on choices. Thus, gambling is purposeful behavior. While there are physiological tests for ingesting substances, researchers and clinicians must rely on the individual's self-report or
more » ... ations of gambling behavior. Different populations are impacted differently by gambling; specific to the proposed study are college students who are atrisk of developing a gambling disorder. According to the (NCRG) [7], 75% of college students reported past year gambling and 18% reported gambling on a weekly basis. As a result, 17% of college students meet the criteria for gambling disorders compared to only 5.5% of the adult population in the United States [4] . Consequently, college gambling has become an important public health concern [7]. Indeed, recent research has indicated that young adults experience more gambling-related problems than any other group Derevensky J et al. [8], highlighting the need for interventions for this vulnerable population [9]. Internal drivers are universal needs that individuals are motivated to meet for the purpose of survival [10]. According to Ashley and Boehlke [11], the pathological attachment is a compulsive attraction to a behavioral addiction that results in the individual being unable to resist the drive to engage in the behavior. Therefore, given the progressive nature of disordered gambling American Psychiatric Association [5], it is important to identify the internal drivers of problematic gambling so as to identify at-risk individuals early on. According to Glasser W [6], there are four universal needs that humans are motivated to meet: (a) control; (b) power; (c) achievement; and (d) intimacy and that individuals engage in behaviors to satisfy these psychological needs. Unmet needs are Abstract Researchers agree that the age of onset of gambling is a predictor of future gambling problems [1] [2] [3] . Because other theories have failed to identify the internal drivers of problem gambling behavior among college students, Choice Theory was used to determine if the need for control or the need for achievement can predict at-risk problem gambling among the target population. The assessment tools/questionnaires used: (a) Demographic Information; (b) The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS); (c) Desirability of Control Scale; and (d) The Gambling Motivation Scale. The SOGS was utilized to determine a classification for being at-risk of developing gambling disorder. Results from an independent samples t-test indicated that there was not a significant relationship between the classification status of being at-risk of developing gambling disorder and need for control among college students. However, results from an independent samples t-test indicated that there was a significant relationship between the classification status of being atrisk of developing gambling disorder and need for achievement among college students. Of the college students who participated in this study, 21.22% met the criteria for being considered at risk of developing gambling disorder, which is comparable to a previous study reporting 17% of college students meet the criteria for gambling disorder [4] . This rate of prevalence of students at-risk in the sample reaffirms the need for ongoing support and intervention for gambling disorder prevention and interventions with young adults in the college setting.
doi:10.33552/oajap.2019.01.000522 fatcat:rdq4gqyxsbh5fke4j25ziwo43q