The Financial Literacy Paradox in Gambling Disorder: Why Knowing Isn’t Doing
Society, cilt.62, sa.5, ss.698-705, 2025 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 62 Sayı: 5
- Basım Tarihi: 2025
- Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s12115-025-01123-7
- Dergi Adı: Society
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, ABI/INFORM, American History and Life, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, Gender Studies Database, Historical Abstracts, Index Islamicus, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Political Science Complete, Public Administration Abstracts, Public Affairs Index, Religion and Philosophy Collection, Urban Studies Abstracts
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.698-705
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Financial literacy, Gambling disorder, Financial knowledge, Financial attitudes, Financial behavior
- Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This study investigates the paradox that individuals with gambling disorder (GD) may possess financial knowledge yet still engage in economically harmful behaviors. Using a cross-sectional design, we compared financial literacy—across knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors—between 100 individuals with GD and 123 matched healthy controls in Türkiye. While both groups demonstrated similar levels of financial knowledge, those with GD showed significantly impaired financial attitudes and behaviors. Structural equation modeling revealed that financial literacy mediated the relationship between education, income, and gambling severity, while longer gambling duration directly predicted greater severity. These findings suggest that financial literacy is not a fixed cognitive asset but a fragile faculty vulnerable to compulsion, emotional dysregulation, and cognitive bias. We argue that financial literacy in the context of gambling is not merely about what individuals know, but how that knowledge is enacted—vulnerable to being undermined by behavioral dynamics. The implications extend beyond gambling to broader questions of volition, agency, and the limits of rational action under conditions of addiction.