Investigation of the relationship between near-miss loss, gambling craving and depression in gambling individuals

Objective: It is known that gambling addicts may develop various psychological problems with the development of gambling addiction. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the reasons for gambling, near miss, gambling craving and depression in gambling. Methods: The data of the study consisted of 541 gam-blers who were selected by purpose sampling method between June and July 2019. Sociodemographic Information Form, South Oaks Gambling Screening Test (SOGST), Near-Miss Scale (NMS), Gambling Craving Scale (GCS), Gambling Causes Scale (GCS) and Beck Depression Scale (BDS) were used. Results: When the scores of pathological gambling addicts and gambling individuals about loss, gambling craving, depression and gambling reasons were compared, it was seen that pathological gamblers obtained statistically significant higher scores from all scales. While all the scales have a positive relationship, as the money spent on gambling increases, the sub-dimension of entertainment/excitement, which is the subscale of the SOGST, NMS, GCS, and GCS, increases. Discussion: According to the results of the study, it was found that depression can be seen more in pathological gamblers, and also gambling motivations may increase depression. Considering that not only pathological gamblers but also the high motivation and tendencies towards gambling can increase depression, it is foreseen that working with these gambling individuals can reduce depression in therapies with gambling individuals. [Anadolu Psikiyatri Derg 2019; 20(0.200): 76-79]