Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The Relationship Between Cultural Variables and Gambling Behavior Among Chinese Residing in Australia

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Gambling Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Cultural variables (e.g., cultural values, acculturation and attitudes towards seeking professional assistance) have been found to play important roles in the initiation and maintenance of numerous mental health and substance related problems. However, there is a significant lack of empirical studies investigating the relationships between these cultural variables and gambling behavior. Thus, this study assessed whether these cultural variables could predict gambling behavior among 233 Chinese residing in Australia. Several questionnaires were used in the study including the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), the Asian Values Scale (AVS), Attitudes towards Seeking Psychological Help Scale (ATSPHS) and the modified version of the Cultural Life Style Inventory (CLSI). Results showed that although adherence to Asian values could not predict gambling behavior, acculturation (i.e., cultural shift and cultural incorporation) could negatively predict gambling behavior. Furthermore, the interpersonal openness subscale of ATSPHS could predict gambling behavior. Implications of these findings are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abbott, D. A., & Cramer, S. L. (1993). Gambling attitudes and participation: A midwestern survey. Journal of Gambling Studies, 9, 247–263.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Abt, V., & McGurrin, M. C. (1992). Commercial gambling and values in American society: The social construction of risk. Journal of Gambling Studies, 8, 413–420.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Abt, V., McGurrin, C., & Smith, J. F. (1985). Toward a synoptic model of gambling behavior. Journal of Gambling Behavior, 1, 79–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Albers, N., & Huebl, L. (1997). Gambling market and individual patterns of gambling in Germany. Journal of Gambling Studies, 13, 125–144.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association (1980). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.

  • Berry, J. W. (1992). Acculturation and adaptation in a new society. International Migration, 30, 69–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berry, J. W. (1997). Immigration, acculturation, and adaptation. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 46, 5–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blaszczynski, A., Huynh, S., Dumlao, V. J., & Farrell, E. (1998). Problem gambling within a Chinese speaking community. Journal of Gambling Studies, 14, 359–380.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bruce, A. C., & Johnson, J. E. V. (1994). Male and female betting behavior: New perspectives. Journal of Gambling Studies, 10, 183–198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, C. N., Wong, J., Lee, N., Chan-Ho, M. W., Lau, J. T. F., & Fung, M. (1993). The Shatin community mental health survey in Hong Kong: II. Major findings. Archives of General Psychiatry, 50, 125–133.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cheung, Y. W. (1993). Approaches to ethnicity: Clearing roadblocks in the study of ethnicity and substance use. The International Journal of the Addictions, 28, 1209–1226.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, R., King, B., & Laylim, D. (1990). Tin Sin Kuk (Heavenly Swindle). New South Wales: Asian Community Research Unit State Intelligence Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Colon, I., & Wuollet, C. A. (1994). Homeland, gender and Chinese drinking. Journal of Addictive Diseases, 13, 59–67.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coman, G. J., Burrows, G. D., & Evans, B. J. (1997). Stress and anxiety as factors in the onset of problem gambling: Implications for treatment. Stress Medicine, 13, 235–244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellenbogen, S., Gupta, R., & Derevensky, J. L. (2007). A cross-cultural study of gambling behaviour among adolescents. Journal of Gambling Studies, 23, 25–39.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer, E. H., & Turner, J. I. (1970). Orientations to seeking professional help: Development and research utility of an attitude scale. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 35, 79–90.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • GAMECS Project. (1999). Gambling among members of ethnic communities in Sydney: Report on “problem gambling and ethnic communities” (Part 3). Sydney: Ethnic Communities’ Council of NSW.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grant, J. E., & Kim, W. S. (2002). Gender differences in pathological gamblers seeking medication treatment. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 43, 56–62.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hallebone, E. (1999). Women and the new gambling culture in Australia. Society and Leisure, 22, 101–125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hraba, J., & Lee, G. (1995). Problem gambling and policy advice: The mutability and relative effects of structural, associational and attitudinal variables. Journal of Gambling Studies, 11, 105–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jourard, S. M. (1964). The transparent self. Self-disclosure and well-being. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, B. S. K., Atkinson, D. R., & Yang, P. (1999). The Asian values scale: Development, factor analysis, validation, and reliability. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 46, 342–352.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, S. S., Ziedonis, D., & Chen, K. W. (2007). Tobacco use and dependence in Asian Americans: A review of the literature. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 9, 169–184.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lai, D. W. (2004). Impact of culture on depressive symptoms of elderly Chinese immigrants. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 49, 820–827.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, S. (2007). Saliency of one’s heritage culture: Asian cultural values and its interconnections with collective self-esteem and acculturation/enculturation as predictor of psychological well-being of people of Chinese descent. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering. 67, 4159.

  • Lee, C., Chang, J., & Cheng, A. T. A. (2002). Acculturation and suicide: A case–control psychological autopsy study. Psychological Medicine, 32, 133–141.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, C., Chang, J., Liu, C., Chang, C., Chen, T. H. H., Chen, C., et al. (2009). Acculturation, psychiatric comorbidity and posttraumatic stress disorder in a Taiwanese aboriginal population. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 44, 55–62.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lesieur, H. R., & Blume, S. B. (1987). The South Oaks gambling screen (SOGS): A new instrument for the identification of pathological gamblers. American Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 1184–1188.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Loo, J. M. Y., Raylu, N., & Oei, T. P. S. (2008). Gambling among the Chinese: A comprehensive review. Clinical Psychology Review, 28, 1152–1166.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McCormick, R. M. (2000). Aboriginal traditions in the treatment of substance abuse. Canadian Journal of Counseling, 34, 25–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mendoza, R. H. (1989). An empirical scale to measure type and degree of acculturation in Mexican–American adolescents and adults. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 20, 372–385.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oei, T. P. S. (1998). Behavior therapy and cognitive behavior therapy in Asia. Sydney: Edumedia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oei, T. P. S., & Hodges, (2005, December). Can a knife and fork be used to eat fried rice?—the compatibility of cognitive-behavior therapy and Chinese culture. Paper presented at the innovations and reproductions in cultures and societies conference, Vienna.

  • Oei, T. P. S., Lin, C. D., & Raylu, N. (2007a). Validation of the Chinese version of the gambling related cognitions scale (GRCS-C). Journal of Gambling Studies, 23, 309–322.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oei, T. P. S., Lin, C. D., & Raylu, N. (2007b). Validation of the Chinese version of the gambling urges scale (GUS-C). International Gambling Studies, 7, 101–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oei, T. P. S., Lin, C. D., & Raylu, N. (2008). The relationship between gambling cognitions, psychological states, and gambling: A cross-cultural study of Chinese and Caucasians in Australia. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 39, 147–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oei, T. P. S., & Raylu, N. (2009). Gambling behaviors and motivations: A cross-cultural study of Chinese and Caucasians in Australia. International Journal of Social Psychiatry (in press).

  • Oetting, E. R., & Beauvais, F. (1990–1991). Orthogonal cultural identification theory: The cultural identification of minority adolescents. The International Journal of the Addictions, 25, 655–685.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pagura, J., Fotti, S., Katz, L. Y., & Sareen, J. (2009). Help seeking and perceived need for mental health care among individuals in Canada with suicidal behaviors. Psychiatric Services, 60, 943–949.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Productivity Commission Report. (1999). A measure of gambling in Australia. Canberra: Government Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raylu, N., & Oei, T. P. S. (2002). Pathological gambling: A comprehensive review. Clinical Psychology Review, 22, 1009–1061.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raylu, N., & Oei, T. P. S. (2004). Role of culture in gambling and problem gambling. Clinical Psychology Review, 23, 1087–1114.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shepherd, R. M., Ghodse, H., & London, M. (1998). A pilot study examining gambling behavior before and after the launch of the National Lottery and scratch cards in the UK. Addiction Research, 6, 5–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tabora, B. L. (1995). Vulnerability factors to depression among Chinese American immigrant women. Dissertation abstracts international: Section B: The sciences and engineering. 55, 3241.

  • Trevorrow, K., & Moore, S. (1998). The association between loneliness, social isolation and women’s electronic gaming machine gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies, 14, 263–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Varma, S. C., & Siris, S. G. (1996). Alcohol abuse in Asian Americans. Epidemiological and treatment issues. American Journal of Addictions, 5, 136–143.

    Google Scholar 

  • Victorian Casino Gaming Authority (VCGA). (2000). The impact of gaming on specific cultural groups report. Melbourne: Cultural Partners Australia Consortium.

    Google Scholar 

  • Welte, J. W., Barnes, G. M., Wieczorek, W. F., Tidwell, M. C., & Parker, J. (2002). Gambling participation in the U.S.–Results from a national survey. Journal of Gambling Studies, 18, 313–337.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yeh, C. J. (2003). Age, acculturation, cultural adjustment, and mental health symptoms of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese immigrant youths. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 9, 34–48.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

We would sincerely like to thank James Lin for his assistance with data collection and entry. This research project was supported financially by the Queensland Office of Gaming Regulation under the Responsible Gambling Research Grants Program. The findings of the study were submitted to the Queensland Office of Gaming Regulation as a condition of the grant.

Disclaimer

This study presents the findings of independent research. The study’s findings, arguments, and interpretations are derived from the researchers and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of the Queensland Government or the Queensland Office of Gaming Regulation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia

    Tian Oei & Namrata Raylu

Authors
  1. Tian Oei
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Namrata Raylu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Namrata Raylu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Oei, T., Raylu, N. The Relationship Between Cultural Variables and Gambling Behavior Among Chinese Residing in Australia. J Gambl Stud 25, 433–445 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-009-9148-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-009-9148-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation