Main Article Content
Abstract
The study investigated football betting and depression among youths in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Rivers State. The study was guided with one research question, one objective as well as one hypothesis. The scope of the study was delimited into geographical scope and the content scope which addressing the issue football betting and depression. They were synthesized to explain the nexus between football betting and depression. Methodologically, the study adopted a correlation research design using quantitative research approach to get the view of the sample respondents. The sample size of 400 was used to determine through census sampling technique. The research instrument was questionnaire. The validity of the instrument was content validity, while the reliability was obtained through test-retest technique which gave an index of 0.80. The method of data analysis included the chart, mean and T-test. The findings of the study revealed the reasons for football betting among football betting youths in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Rivers State and also found that various depressed symptoms characterized the football betting games such as financial constraints, conflict with family members, emotional traumas and many more. It was recommended among others the need for youths to consider reaching out to mental health professionals, such as a therapist or counselor, or social workers who can provide personalized support and guidance as this can help them to understand and address the underlying causes of their depressive symptoms related to football betting.