The relationship between adult online gambling addiction and impulsivity

Introduction and purpose: Addiction is known as a brain disease. Today, adult gambling has also shown itself in the online sector. This situation is thought to be related to impulsivity. In this thesis, it is aimed to evaluate and explain the relationship between online gambling and impulsivity in adults. Method: The data of the study were collected electronically. The voluntary participation of 70 adult individuals treated in Duzce Yesilay Counseling Center, Bolu and Sakarya Amatem was reached and the questionnaire in the content of this study was filled in electronically. Frequency analysis was applied to the questions regarding the demographic data of the participants. In the related tables, the distribution of the data is presented as "n" and "%". Afterwards, the mean and standard deviations of the statements related to the Barratt Impulsivity, Gambling Craving and Internet Gambling Addiction Scale used within the scope of the research were evaluated. The reliability of the scales used with the Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was evaluated. Significance tests were used to analyze whether the Barratt Impulsivity, Gambling Craving and Internet Gambling Addiction Scale differed in terms of demographic data. Before deciding on the analysis to be used with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk tests, it was evaluated whether the data conformed to the normal distribution. On the other hand, the skewness and kurtosis values of the data were taken into consideration and it was determined that they were in the range of -1.5 to +1.5. ANOVA test was used for comparison of more than two variables with normal distribution, and Independent Sample t test was used for pairwise comparisons. LSD post hoc analysis was used to determine between which groups there was a significant difference in analyses. The relationship between the scale and sub-dimensions was evaluated with the Pearson correlation test. SPSS v32 statistical program was used in the analysis of the research. Conclusion: When the research findings were evaluated in terms of demographics, it was stated that men are more common than women and that men have a high gambling addiction. There was no significant difference between impulsivity and gender. It has been observed that individuals between the ages of 18-30 have a higher level of motor impulsivity than individuals aged 30 and over. There was a significant difference between the relationship between education levels and impulsivity. It has been observed that individuals with high school and graduate education levels have a higher level of impulsivity to gamble. It can be said that the higher the academic success of individuals with a graduate education level, the higher their self-confidence and higher winning instincts affect the state of playing. It has been determined that when individuals' impulsivity levels increase, their internet gambling addiction and gambling craving levels also increase. As individuals' gambling craving levels increase, their internet gambling addiction level increases. Keywords: Gambling, Gambling Craving, Online Gambling Addiction, Impulsiveness