GAMBLING AS A PREDICTOR OF DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS

This study investigated gambling behaviors as a predictor of depressive symptoms among undergraduate students at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, while examining gender differences and the moderating effect of age on this relationship. Employing a cross-sectional design, 400 participants were selected through simple random sampling from multiple faculties. Data collection utilized a questionnaire comprising demographic information and two standardized instruments: the problem gambling severity index (Ferris and Wynne, 2001) and the Beck's Depression Inventory (Beck et al., 1961). Results revealed that gambling behaviors significantly predicted depressive symptoms (β = .546, t = 12.993, p < .001), explaining 29.8% of the variance in depression scores. Gender analysis showed that female participants reported significantly higher depression scores (M = 34.15, SD = 17.31) compared to male participants (M = 31.39, SD = 7.91), t(398) = -1.998, p < .001. Age emerged as a significant moderator of the gambling-depression relationship, F(1, 396) = 652.9209, p < .001, accounting for an additional 35.5% variance (ΔR² = .3553). Conditional effects analysis revealed that participants aged 36-45 years demonstrated the strongest relationship between gambling behaviors and depressive symptoms (β = 1.9687, p < .001), indicating heightened vulnerability in this age group. These findings highlight the substantial psychological impact of gambling behaviors on mental health among Nigerian university students, emphasizing gender disparities and age-related vulnerabilities. The results underscore the need for targeted mental health interventions and age-appropriate prevention strategies in educational settings to address gambling-related depression.Keyword: Gambling, depression, university students, gender, age.