Examining the Relationships in Personality Characteristics, Social Support, and Gambling Ideation among Undergraduates Students of Universities in Southwest Nigeria

The growth of online gambling platforms in Nigeria has raised public health concerns, particularly among university students who may be more susceptible to risky behavior due to developmental and social pressures. This study explored how personality traits (impulsivity, sensation-seeking, neuroticism) and sources of social support (family, peer, academic) relate to gambling ideation among 11,631 undergraduates from six universities in Southwest Nigeria. Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected with validated tools—the Big Five Inventory, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and Gambling Urge Scale—and analyzed through regression, structural equation modeling, and multivariate techniques. Surprisingly, impulsivity (r = -0.099, p < .001), sensation-seeking (B = -0.208, p < .001), and neuroticism (B = -0.071, p < .001) showed weak negative associations with gambling ideation, suggesting the potential influence of cultural context and measurement sensitivity. Family (B = -0.056, p < .001), peer (B = -0.013, p < .01), and academic support (B = -0.043, p < .001) all significantly predicted lower gambling ideation, lending support to the stress-buffering perspective. Social support played a moderating role in the relationship between impulsivity (B = -0.009, p = .009) and sensation-seeking (B = 0.012, p < .001) with gambling ideation and also partially mediated the impulsivity-ideation link (indirect effect = -0.016). The combined influence of personality and social support was found to be significant (B = 0.085, p < .001). These results point to the protective value of social support and call for greater cultural sensitivity in psychological assessments. The findings suggest that enhancing family and academic support systems, implementing student-focused interventions, and enacting policies to regulate gambling exposure may help reduce gambling ideation. Future longitudinal research could explore causal mechanisms and additional social influences among Nigerian undergraduates.