Investigating sense of guilt in individuals with gambling behaviors

Gambling has been banned in our country for many years. Despite these prohibitions, gambling games are quite popular in Turkey, especially in the online domain. Additionally, there are popular state-run games under the guise of chance games, where there is a possibility of winning more money than invested, although usually the money invested is lost. Gambling behavior can be observed in individuals of all ages and genders. Even without a diagnosis, games played with money that induce excitement can be considered gambling behavior. Nevertheless, the number of studies on gambling in our country is quite limited. Despite studies that evaluate gambling symptomatically, there are few conducted from an analytical psychology perspective. Many psychoanalysts argue that childhood conflicts underlie gambling behavior and that it is accompanied by a self-punishing behavior driven by feelings of guilt. Guilt can arise from conflicts with one's internal values or from the perception of not conforming to societal norms, and it is a powerful emotion that can cause discomfort. This feeling can intensify depending on the individual's conflicts. The aim of this study is to closely examine the relationship between the intensity of gambling behavior and the guilt felt by individuals engaged in gambling. The sample of the study consisted of 182 individuals who have deposited money on at least one occasion in gambling or games of chance. Data for the study were obtained using the South Oaks Gambling Screen and the Guilt Inventory. Firstly, correlation analysis was conducted to measure the relationship between the intensity of gambling behavior and feelings of guilt. Subsequently, a T-test analysis was performed to understand whether the feelings of guilt among gambling participants differed according to gender. Additional analyses were also conducted based on demographic information. The analyses did not yield significant results among the data. The findings and limitations of the study were discussed.