The present study investigated the relationship between impulsivity, self-esteem, irrational gambling belief, and problem gambling and also explored whether the relationships between these constructs are different for males and females. Participants included 563 college students with 259 males (46.0%) and 304 females (54.0%) from Korea. Participants completed a survey. The results showed that 5.3% of students were problem gamblers, while 9.4% were moderate-risk gamblers. The relationships between impulsivity, self-esteem, irrational gambling belief, and problem gambling differed for males and females. For females, greater impulsivity and lower self-esteem predicted higher irrational gambling belief, while higher irrational gambling belief predicted more problem gambling. For males, greater impulsivity predicted higher irrational gambling belief, and higher irrational gambling belief predicted more problem gambling. This finding suggests that different prevention efforts are needed, which will require identifying the variables that affect problem gambling.
Keywords: comparative study; impulsivity; irrational gambling belief; moderating effect; problem gambling; self-esteem.