@article{article_1604294, title={A Systematic Review on the Relationship Between Religiosity and Gambling Addiction}, journal={Rize İlahiyat Dergisi}, pages={379–402}, year={2025}, DOI={10.32950/rid.1604294}, author={İnceköse, Sema and Allahverdi, Zehra}, keywords={Din Psikolojisi, Kumar Bağımlılığı, Dindarlık, Koruyucu ve Risk Faktörler}, abstract={The focus of this study is the relationship between gambling addiction and religiosity. Previous research has suggested that religiosity may be associated with gambling addiction, either as a protective or a risk factor. However, both in Turkey and internationally, no systematic review has been conducted to examine the relationship between these two variables in a structured and comprehensive manner. In this context, the present study is significant as it constitutes the first systematic review addressing the link between gambling addiction and religiosity. The aim of this study is to analyze previous research that has investigated the association between gambling addiction and religiosity, and to determine the nature of this relationship—whether it is negative, positive, or neutral. The study was carried out using the method of systematic literature review and was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA model (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). During the research process, studies related to religiosity and gambling addiction were scanned in the PubMed, DOAJ, Journal of Gambling Studies, and ScienceDirect databases. A total of 3,705 studies were initially identified. After reviewing the titles and abstracts, 28 studies that directly addressed the topic or provided analyses of the relationship between religiosity and gambling addiction were selected. These 28 studies were examined in detail in terms of their sample characteristics, research methods, definitions of gambling addiction and religiosity, measurement tools, and analysis techniques. The review revealed that 13 studies used various instruments to measure gambling addiction, 9 studies employed the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), and 6 studies measured gambling behavior using researcher-developed, non-standardized questions without employing a validated assessment tool. In order to ensure a more consistent and reliable analysis, the 9 studies using the most widely adopted and validated tool—the South Oaks Gambling Screen—were placed at the center of the systematic review. In addition, comparisons were made between these and the studies that did not utilize a standardized instrument, to assess whether there were any notable differences between the two groups. Accordingly, a total of 15 articles were included in the final analysis, with two main objectives:1) To identify the relationship between gambling addiction and religiosity, and 2) To compare the findings of studies using validated measurement tools with those that did not.Among the 9 studies using the South Oaks Gambling Screen, 7 found a negative relationship between religiosity and gambling addiction, while 2 reported a neutral relationship. Of the 6 studies that did not employ a standardized instrument, 4 found a negative association, and 2 found a neutral one. Based on these findings, it may be inferred that there is likely a negative relationship between religiosity and gambling addiction. Another notable conclusion is that the majority of studies—regardless of whether they used the South Oaks Gambling Screen or researcher-developed questions—produced similar results concerning this relationship. This consistency suggests that religiosity may have a stable and potentially protective effect against gambling addiction.}, number={29}, publisher={Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Üniversitesi}