Personality Factors as Correlates of Gambling False Hope Syndrome among Undergraduates in University Of Port Harcourt

This study examined personality factors as correlates of gambling false hope syndrome (‘FHS’) amid undergraduates in the University of Port Harcourt. The study adopted a correlation research design. Five research questions and five corresponding hypotheses tested at 0.5 level of significance steered the study. A sample of 550 undergraduates was drawn from a population of 2,153 students in Education faculty through simple random sampling technique (SRST). Two instruments were espoused for data assemblage explicitly; False Hope Syndrome and Psychological Traits in Gambling (PTG). The instruments were authenticated by experts in measurement and evaluation unit. Pearson correlation and z-test were used for data analysis. The study found out that extraversion, conscientiousness, neuroticism, openness to experience, and agreeableness had substantial strong optimistic connection with gambling ‘FHS’. Five recommendations were made among which were that; Tertiary institutions should provide personality inventors to screen and detect personality traits that are vulnerable to gambling behavior and provide counselling service for them; parents’ proper monitoring of their children is required to curb the gambling menace in the life of undergraduates. The study concludes that there is a significant relationship amidst extraversion and ‘FHS’ in gambling amid undergraduates. Also it concludes that extraversion and meticulous adolescent students are probable to become victims of ‘FHS’