Moderating Influence of Predictive Control on the Near-Miss Effect-Gambling Intention Association in Nigerian Polytechnic Students

Empirical evidence supports the association of near-miss effect with gambling. However, erroneous cognitions may either amplify or attenuate this association. The present study examined the ability of predictive control to moderate the association between near-miss and gambling intention of polytechnic students recruited from a federal polytechnic in southern Nigeria (N = 407). Self-report measures of predictive control, gambling near-miss, and gambling intention were administered. The Hayes' regression-based PROCESS module for moderation analysis was used to analyze the data. Result showed that near-miss was positively associated with gambling intention. Increased predictive control was associated with decreased gambling intention. Predictive control significantly moderated the association between near-miss and gambling intention such that late-miss was associated with decreased gambling intentions for participants with high and moderate predictive control, but associated with increased gambling intention for those with low predictive control. Our findings lend credence to the cognitive models of gambling therapies and treatment.