Correlates of gambling behaviors among Asian American university students

This study compared rates of gambling between Asian American and White undergraduate college students. No difference was found between the rates of the two groups. It also examined the gambling behavior of Asian American undergraduate college students in relation to a number of factors including alcohol use, sensation seeking, distress, and sex. Although some of these factors have been studied extensively among other ethnic groups, there has been little research conducted on the gambling patterns of Asian American students. Sex was found to be a significant predictor of Asian American student gambling, with males reporting more gambling and more engagement in different types of gambling activities than women. Furthermore, those with a higher tendency to experiment with novel and stimulating activities were also more likely to report more gambling than those who scored lower on novelty-oriented sensation seeking. This study did not find evidence that distress or alcohol use played a significant role in gambling behaviors in Asian American college students. There were, however, limitations to the measures and design that reduced the chances of significant findings on these variables. Future directions for Asian American gambling research are discussed.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical references (p. 29-33)