<p>For many individuals gambling gives an opportunity for relaxation and social relations. The positive effects of gambling are for most individual’s considerable more than the negative effects. Even if gambling gives positive effects there is individuals that cannot control there gambling and therefore develop an addiction which disturb there life situation and health. The aim of this study was to describe which personal characteristics distinguish people with a pathological gambling and which psychological, physical and social consequences this pathological gambling causes for the individual. The method of the study was a literary study and was based on twenty scientific articles. These articles were found in different scientific databases. The result of the study indicated that pathological gamblers have a higher grade of impulsivity and therefore they are seeking for quick satisfaction. The characteristic of pathological gamblers causes psychological, physiological and social consequences. Pathological gamblers have a increased risk of economical problems, work loses, anxiety, fear and depression. The consequences of pathological gambling does not only affect the individual with the addiction but also people in the person’s environment; therefore it is important that the society receive increased knowledge about pathological gambling. Further research about which individual’s that have an increased risk of become pathological gamblers, research about the increased accessibility to gamble and the mass medium effect on the individual is a desire.</p>

For many individuals gambling gives an opportunity for relaxation and social relations. The positive effects of gambling are for most individual’s considerable more than the negative effects. Even if gambling gives positive effects there is individuals that cannot control there gambling and therefore develop an addiction which disturb there life situation and health. The aim of this study was to describe which personal characteristics distinguish people with a pathological gambling and which psychological, physical and social consequences this pathological gambling causes for the individual. The method of the study was a literary study and was based on twenty scientific articles. These articles were found in different scientific databases. The result of the study indicated that pathological gamblers have a higher grade of impulsivity and therefore they are seeking for quick satisfaction. The characteristic of pathological gamblers causes psychological, physiological and social consequences. Pathological gamblers have a increased risk of economical problems, work loses, anxiety, fear and depression. The consequences of pathological gambling does not only affect the individual with the addiction but also people in the person’s environment; therefore it is important that the society receive increased knowledge about pathological gambling. Further research about which individual’s that have an increased risk of become pathological gamblers, research about the increased accessibility to gamble and the mass medium effect on the individual is a desire.

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Department of English

published_or_final_version / Public Health / Master / Master of Public Health

No description available.

The Internet represents a relatively new phenomenon, offering players a convenient, easily accessible, and relatively anonymous gambling venue. This study explored Internet gambling in a sample of youth aged 12 to 24 years. Students in high school, CEGEP, and university were asked to report on their involvement in gambling activities both on-line and off-line. In the past 12 months, 4.6% of participants had gambled on the Internet, with higher rates among males (5.8%) compared to females (2.3%). As well, 36.6% of youth reported that in the past 12 months they had gambled on Internet 'practice' gambling sites where no money was required to play. Concerns about the possible effect of Internet gambling on youth are raised and possible future directions for research are explored.

Legalized gambling in Canada has increased dramatically over the last two decades. The existing literature suggests that a subgroup of individuals with gambling problems might be characterized by an emotional vulnerability to depression, although psychological factors related to such vulnerability have rarely been examined. This thesis utilized a representative community sample to examine the relationship between self-criticism, a psychological factor reflecting vulnerability to depression, distress and gambling problems and to provide data on the prevalence and correlates of gambling problems in Winnipeg. Results indicated that self-criticism is significantly related to gambling problems and this relationship was stronger among women. The prevalence of gambling problems was 11%, double the most recently reported Canada-wide estimates. Correlates of gambling problems revealed in the current study were consistent with previous research. These results have important implications for treatment and prevention efforts as well as public policy regarding gambling and gambling advertising in Canada.

Using a sociocultural approach, we explore an illicit consumption community online. There are several thriving consumption communities that exist online that exchange illicit commodities without scrutiny from regulatory structures. Despite the large sums of money spent on this practice and the potential problems associated with illicit commoditizing, the online environment remains loosely regulated. A netnography of one such community, online poker players, is the central focus of this research. We propose a dramaturgical model that explains the macro-environmental factors of illicit consumption communities and the individual motives of online poker players. The online poker forum selected for this study is vibrant, rich with data and frequented often by online poker community members. By examining discussions held within this online community, we uncover insights on the illicit consumption of online poker players and their motives. We explore these varying factors and motives and discuss the public policy implications of our findings.

Counterfactual thought is thinking about what might have been. It is remembering the past, not as it actually happened, but how we wish it happened. Research has shown that counterfactual thought affects a wide range of psychological processes including emotion and decision making. This research examined the counterfactual thoughts of individuals engaged in a gambling task. A 2 (outcome groups) X 2 (counterfactual direction) X 4 (gambling type) Analysis of Variance did not find significant differences in the number of counterfactuals generated between gambling groups. It was found, however, that individuals who lost the task generated more counterfactuals than individuals who won the task. The discussion section explains how future researchers could use this unique task along with a more sophisticated method of assessing counterfactual thought to understand more fully how counterfactual thought affects gambling behavior. / Department of Psychological Science

Legalized gambling in Canada has increased dramatically over the last two decades. The existing literature suggests that a subgroup of individuals with gambling problems might be characterized by an emotional vulnerability to depression, although psychological factors related to such vulnerability have rarely been examined. This thesis utilized a representative community sample to examine the relationship between self-criticism, a psychological factor reflecting vulnerability to depression, distress and gambling problems and to provide data on the prevalence and correlates of gambling problems in Winnipeg. Results indicated that self-criticism is significantly related to gambling problems and this relationship was stronger among women. The prevalence of gambling problems was 11%, double the most recently reported Canada-wide estimates. Correlates of gambling problems revealed in the current study were consistent with previous research. These results have important implications for treatment and prevention efforts as well as public policy regarding gambling and gambling advertising in Canada.