Abstract:
Gambling refers to using money or any material with monetary value on an event with unknown result in order to get more money or the material. Gambling motivation among university students is triggered by many factors, with peer group influence being a strong motivator. Counselling services offered in universities are important in assisting students become aware of gambling consequences hence change their attitudes towards gambling. However, gambling motivation is still high in universities. There are doubts, therefore, if counselling in universities create awareness about consequences of gambling among students. The study aimed at examining the moderating effect of awareness of gambling consequences on the relationship between peer group influences and gambling motivation among students in universities in Kericho County, Kenya. The study looked at influences of peer-to-peer social reinforcement, peers’ urge to model fellow peers’ behaviour and cognitive motivation tendencies during peer interaction on gambling motivation. Also, it looked at whether awareness of gambling consequences weakens the relationship between peer group influences and gambling motivation among students in universities or not. The study was grounded in Ryan and Deci’s Self-Determination Theory and Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory. Using a mixed method research design, the study employed Yamane’s formula to recruit 353 participants from a population of 3047 third year students and census to recruit all 3 counsellors from two selected universities: Kabianga and Kenya Highlands. For key informants, the study used snowballing to recruit 7 students self-presenting with gambling problems. The study used self-scoring questionnaires for students who did not present with gambling problems and interviews for students who self-presented with gambling problems to collect data. It also interviewed university counsellors. Validity of the instruments was determined through expert judgement from the researcher’s university supervisors while reliability was determined through the use of Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient of ≥0.7. The overall Cronbach's Alpha value was .819 indicating good to excellent reliability. Quantitative data was analyzed using statistical package for social science (SPSS) (Version 23.1) to produce descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data was reported in narrations and direct quotations reinforced the quantitative outcomes. The findings revealed that peer group influences have a positive and significant effect on gambling motivation among students in universities. Study results also indicated that awareness of gambling consequences has a significant moderating effect on the relationship between peer group influences and gambling motivation. The study recommended that counselling programmes should prioritize educating students on the addictive nature of gambling and its adverse effects among them.
