Weston, Alisha (2010) Gender, Impulsive Sensation Seeking, Psychological Distress, and Problem Solving Skills in Young Gamblers. Coursework Masters thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Gambling is a characteristic feature of Australian life, with 70 – 80% of Australians participating in and gambling at some level. Adolescents and young adults have been found to display significantly higher gambling-related problems than any other age cohorts. The aim of this research was to investigate the possible predictors of problematic gambling in a sample of older adolescents/young adults. Participants included 142 individuals (92 females and 50 males) within the age range of 17 to 30. Participants were requested to fill out a Demographic survey, South Oaks Gambling Screen, Impulsive Sensation Seeking scale and Kessler Psychological Distress scale. It was hypothesised that at-risk/problem gamblers would score higher on the sensation seeking scale, psychological distress scale and problem solving scale than non-problem gamblers. At-risk/problem gamblers were found to have higher levels of sensation seeking than non-problem gamblers. No significant difference was found between at-risk/problem gamblers and non-problem gamblers in terms of psychological distress and problem solving. It was hypothesised that there would be higher representation of males in the at-risk/problem gambling group than females. This hypothesis was supported. Sensation seeking and gender as a set were found to significantly predict gambling behaviour (at-risk/problem vs. non-problem gamblers). It is recommended that future research examines psychological distress levels in a sample of sensation seeking gamblers. It is also recommended that future research examines the relationship between problem solving skills and the development and maintenance of problem gambling, as there is very minimal research that has been conducted in this area.
|
Statistics for this ePrint Item |
| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Coursework Masters) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Sciences - Department of Psychology (Up to 30 Jun 2013) |
| Supervisors: | Beccaria, Gavin |
| Qualification: | Master of Psychology (Clinical) |
| Date Deposited: | 16 Mar 2026 03:15 |
| Last Modified: | 16 Mar 2026 03:15 |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52869 |
Actions (login required)
 |
Archive Repository Staff Only |
