Relationship between Gambling Addiction and Violent Behaviour among University Students in Lang’ata Constituency

Gambling addiction is unhealthy betting that could result in problematic behaviour and experience of serious multiple problems. Historically, betting is inherently an acceptable recreational activity across human societies. Betting has become a way of life and especially among university students in Kenya. The study examined the relationship between gambling addiction and violent behaviour among university students in Lang’ata Constituency, Nairobi County. The target population was 20,700 university students. The sample size was 393 students. Skinner’s Theory of Learning was used in understanding the relationship between types of gambling, prevalence of gambling, risk factors of gambling, coping strategies, and violent behaviour among university students. Correlational research design was used. Stratified random sampling was used in identifying the sample size. Descriptive statistics was used in analysing descriptive data. Pearson’s Correlation Coefficients, ANOVA and Regression Analysis were used in inferring results of the study. The response rate was 99.4%. Explanatory variables explained 73.7% of variation in violent behaviour among university students while 26.3% of variation in violence could be attributed to other factors outside the scope of this study. All independent variables have statistically significant relationship with the dependent variable hence they were retained in the final model. The resulting hypothesis affirms the relationship between gambling addiction and violent behaviour among university students. To investigate causality of betting addiction and violent behaviour among students, experimental design may be appropriate in future studies. Future studies may consider triangulating numerical and non-numerical data in investigating the relationship between betting addiction and violent behaviour among university students. Insufficient betting infrastructure was abetting betting in learning institutions in Kenya hence the need to enact policies that promote healthy betting practices.