Award Date

1-1-1999

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

First Committee Member

Russell Hurlburt

Number of Pages

44

Abstract

Addictive Gambling has plagued mankind for thousands of years. However, it has only recently been studied extensively. One proposed cause for addiction, which has been used in studying alcohol and drug abuse, is a lack of meaning in the addict's life. However, a causal link between life meaning and gambling addiction has not yet been examined. This study used a sample of 355 normal people and compared scores on the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), the Purpose in Life (PIL) Test, the short form of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST). Relationships between the level of gambling addiction, as shown on the SOGS, and the level of meaning in life, as shown on the PIL, were examined. The effect of depression on these variables, as measured on the short form of the BDI, was considered. The relationship of alcohol addiction to gambling and meaning in life, as measured on the MAST, was examined. The study found a mild negative correlation between scores on the SOGS and those on the PIL. This correlation increased as the level of alcoholism among the participants decreased.

Keywords

Addiction; Gambling; Life; Meaning

Controlled Subject

Clinical psychology; Recreation; Behaviorism (Psychology)

File Format

pdf

File Size

1228.8 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

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