The significance of depression in the causality of the gambling phenomena in the female

This research study was designed to determine if there is a relationship between depression and the female pathological/compulsive gambler's addiction. The hypothesis is that there is no substantial relationship between depression and causality of the gambling phenomena in women. Data was collected from thirty two (32) subjects using this researcher's original questionnaire and the standardized IPAT depression scale; the former being analyzed by percentages and the latter by standard deviation. The collected data substantiated the hypothesis that depression was not the cause of the gambling behavior in this group of respondents, because only thirty one percent (31%) of them displayed a relationship between depression and causality. A minor parallel was drawn between the female gambling compulsion and sexual abuse to demonstrate the serious sociological implications of this female pathology for the family and society. The findings of this study revealed that eighty four percent (84%) of the females are in a state of "denial" about their gambling addiction, even though they were diagnosed as pathological/compulsive gamblers according to American Psychiatric Association criteria established in the DSM 3-R on page 6. The conclusions drawn from this study indicate that the gambling behavior in females is extremely detrimental to the family, and that her children will be psychologically abused and neglected, eventually leading to mentally disturbed adults. Based upon the findings in Chapter IV. It is recommended that the female gambler receive therapy as soon as possible with her family, to deal with all of the physical and psychological problems brought on by her addiction. In this way women who have been sexually abused will stop using their "denial" defense and begin to trust again, for the incidence of sexual exploitation in this group of respondents reaches a very high ninety three (93%) percent.