DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, STRESS AND GAMBLING BEHAVIOUR OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN MAKURDI METROPOLIS

Abstract

This study assessed the influence of depression, anxiety and stress on the gambling behaviour of young people in Makurdi Metropolis, Benue State, Nigeria. One hundred and thirty-seven participants were purposively sampled for this study. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) were used for data collection. This study utilized a cross-sectional survey research design, and univariate analysis of variance was the statistical tool used for data analysis. Three hypotheses were tested, and the results revealed that there was a significant main effect of depression on gambling behaviour among youths in the Makurdi Metropolis [F (2,137) = 8.968, P<.01], with an effect size of 14.2., indicating high effect the predictor variable on depression. However, anxiety [F(3,137) = .775, P>.05] and stress [F(2,137) = .099, P>.05] had no significant main effects on gambling behaviour among the participants. Multiple comparisons of depression levels showed that youths with normal depression significantly differed from those with mild (7.6; p<.05), moderate (30.04; p<.05) or extremely severe depression (7.97; p<05) in terms of gambling behaviour. The results also revealed that the gambling behaviour of youths with mild depression significantly differed from that of youths with moderate depression (5.51; p<.05) but not those with extremely severe depression (.41; p>.05). Similarly,  youth with moderate depression did not significantly differ from those with extremely severe depression (4.49; p>.05). Based on these findings, the researchers recommended urgent public health interventions for young people with depression as a way of minimizing problem gambling among the young people in the study area.