Comparing the Utility of a Modified Diagnostic Interview for Gambling Severity (DIGS) with the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) as a Research Screen in College … (original) (raw)
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Journal of Gambling Studies, 2010
The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) is compared in reliability to a modified version of the Diagnostic Interview for Gambling Severity (DIGS-S) for use as a pathological gambling (PG) screen in college students. Seventy-two undergraduates (83.3% male, mean age of 18.8) from the University of Georgia completed the measures, completing a longitudinal design with 3 sessions over a 2-month time period. The DIGS-S and the SOGS demonstrated good internal consistency over the 3 sessions, with Cronbach's Alphas ranging from 0.73 to 0.89, as well as strong concurrent validity, with correlations of .50 to .80 (Ps < .001) between the 2 measures across the 3 sessions. Both Cronbach's alpha and test-retest reliability were higher with the DIGS-S than the SOGS. Given this, and given that the DIGS directly measures symptoms of pathological gambling, future research could benefit from the use of the DIGS-S as a PG screening tool in a college-aged sample.
Addictive Behaviors, 2004
The National Opinion Research Center DSM Screen for Gambling Problems (NODS), a populationbased telephone-screening tool to identify gambling problems according to DSM-IV criteria, was examined as a potential outcome measure for gambling treatment studies. The NODS was administered to problem gamblers as part of a 1-year follow-up after a brief treatment. Internal reliability was fair to good and the factor structure and item-total correlations supported the existence of a single construct with three subfactors, measuring negative behavioral consequences, preoccupation and impaired control over gambling and tolerance, and withdrawal and relief gambling. The NODS total score correlated moderately with gambling behavior and outcome as predicted. The total score also correlated highly with the total score of the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) although the NODS and SOGS categorization of nonproblem, problem, and pathological gamblers showed poor agreement. The NODS, as designed, provided a more strict definition of disordered gambling than the SOGS. In summary, the NODS shows promise as an outcome measure of gambling problems. D
Rivista di psichiatria, 2016
AIM The DSM-5 has modified the diagnostic criteria for gambling disorder, compared to the fourth edition of the manual; new diagnostic instruments are therefore needed. This study evaluated the psychometric characteristics of the Gambling Disorder Screening Questionnaire (GDSQ), a self-report questionnaire based on the DSM-IV and DSM-5 criteria for Gambling Disorder, measuring its validity, internal consistency, and submitting the questionnaire to a principal components analysis. METHODS 71 patients from a gambling disorder outpatient clinic and 70 controls were evaluated with the GDSQ, the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), and a psychiatric interview. RESULTS The test showed a good sensibility, specificity, internal consistency, concurrent validity with the SOGS. The exclusion of the “illegal acts” item, and the lowering of the cut-off score to four positive items, as suggested by the DSM-5 criteria, improved the test sensibility and internal consistency. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION...
Improving the Psychometric Properties of the Problem Gambling Severity Index
2010
Statistical methods used in this study included: exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, Rasch modeling, differential item functioning analysis, test-retest reliability, validation of the four PGSI gambler subtypes, and regression modeling to explore the development of statistical weights. We also conducted an opinion survey of 142 experts in the field of gambling from Canada and other countries. The main findings are:
Development and Validation of the Gambling Pathways Questionnaire (GPQ)
The Pathways Model (Blaszczynski & Nower, 2002) is a theoretical framework that proposes three pathways for identifying etiological subtypes of problem gamblers. The model has been used to assist clinicians in developing individualized treatments that target not only the gambling behavior but also associated risk factors that may undermine recovery and precipitate relapse. The current study sought to develop and validate a new screening instrument, based on the Pathways Model for treatment-seeking gamblers. Participants were gamblers age 18 and over who scored 1 symptoms on the Problem Gambling Severity Index of the Canadian Problem Gambling Index and presented to one of 22 participating treatment centers in Canada, the United States, and Australia (N 1,176). Data were collected on 127 items, consisting of 62 core items that reflected variables in the Pathways Model and 65 experimental items derived from recent scholarly literature in gambling etiology. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses identified the following six factors: Antisocial Impulsive Risk-Taking, Stress-Coping, Mood Pre-Problem-Gambling Onset, Mood Post-Problem-Gambling Onset, Child Maltreatment, and Meaning Motivation. The Gambling Pathways Questionnaire showed excellent internal consistency ( .937), with good to high reliability found for each of the six factors, ranging from .851 to .945. Cluster analysis results demonstrated that the three-factor model produced good model fit to the data: Cluster 1 (Behaviorally Conditioned Subtype), Cluster 2 (Emotionally Vulnerable Subtype) and Cluster 3 (Antisocial, Impulsive Risk-Taking Subtype). The present study is the first to present an empirical measure for assigning problem gamblers to etiological subtypes for use as a screening tool in treatment settings.
Course of pathological gambling symptoms and reliability of the Lifetime Gambling History measure
Psychiatry Research, 2007
The DSM-IV describes pathological gambling as a chronic condition with an insidious course. However, several extant studies characterize pathological and problem gambling as fluctuating over time. The present analyses expand on previous reports by evaluating changes in pathological gambling symptoms across the lifetime. DSM-IV pathological gambling symptoms were assessed retrospectively to derive diagnoses and capture changes in symptoms over time using the Lifetime Gambling History (LGH) in a sample of 1343 middle aged males from the Vietnam Era Twin (VET) Registry. Two to four weeks after initial assessment, 196 participants were re-assessed to determine test-retest reliability of the LGH. A greater number of lifetime symptoms was associated with a higher number of changes in gambling patterns. Fluctuations in pathological gambling symptoms were common among individuals who reported two or more gambling phases, with decreases in symptoms reported as frequently as increases. Reliability data revealed high reliability in reports of pathological gambling symptom endorsement and age of symptom onset. Results are consistent with findings from community based studies that describe the course of problem gambling behaviors as changing over time. Evidence is also provided for the utility of the LGH in assessing lifetime pathological gambling symptoms.
Pathological gambling among adolescents: Massachusetts Gambling Screen (MAGS
Journal of Gambling Studies, 1994
This article describes the development of the Massachusetts Gambling Screen (MAGS). The purpose of the MAGS is to provide a brief clinical screening instrument that can (1) yield an index of non-pathological and pathological gambling during a 5 to 10 minute survey or interview and (2) document the first psychometric translation of the proposed DSM-IV pathological gambling criteria into a set of survey or clinical interview questions. The development data for this instrument were obtained from a survey of 856 adolescents who were students in suburban Boston high schools. The results provided evidence that weighted item scores (i.e., discriminant function coefficients) could correctly classify 96% of adolescent gamblers as pathological, in transition or non-pathological when DSM-IV criteria were employed as the conceptual referent. The results also describe the prevalence of a variety of social and emotional problems associated with adolescent gambling. Finally, the discussion examined the normalization and contemporary social context of gaming and the impact of these influences on the measurement and identification of pathological gambling.
Is the SOGS an Accurate Measure of Pathological Gambling Among Children, Adolescents and Adults
Journal of Gambling Studies, 2000
The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) is widely used to assess the prevalence of pathological gambling. For a variety of reasons, this instrument may not provide an accurate rate of the prevalence of pathological gambling. In this paper, one source of error in data provided by the SOGS is investigated. It is argued that individuals may not fully understand the meaning of some items, and that clarification of the meaning of misunderstood items may in some cases lead to a changed score on the scale. The present study evaluates respondents' understanding of the SOGS items. The results from three studies are reported, each using a different sample: grade school children, adolescents and adults. It was hypothesised that (1) participants would not understand some items of the SOGS, (2) problem gamblers and probable pathological gamblers would be more inclined to interpret items incorrectly than would non-problem gamblers and, (3) consistent with the first two hypotheses, clarification of items would decrease the number of participants identified as problem gamblers or probable pathological gamblers. The data obtained supported hypotheses 1 and 3. Furthermore, hypothesis 2 was supported for grade school children, but not for adolescents or adults. These results are consistent with recent literature on endorsement and acquiescence phenomena, and have implications for prevalence studies of probable pathological gambling.
A Psychometric Evaluation of the DSM-IV Pathological Gambling Diagnostic Criteria
Journal of Gambling Studies, 2006
Specific diagnostic criteria for pathological gambling (PG) have been available for 25 years, since the publication of DSM-III. Little research has examined the psychometric performance of the diagnostic criteria. The goal of the present report from the Rhode Island Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services (MIDAS) project was to examine the sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of the DSM-IV PG criteria for psychiatric outpatients who screened positive for a gambling problem. A total of 1709 psychiatric outpatients were evaluated with a semistructured diagnostic interview for PG. Of all patients 88 screened positive for PG, 40 of whom met DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for a lifetime history of PG. All ten DSM-IV criteria were significantly more frequent in the PG group. The sensitivity of the criteria ranged from 25.0% to 90.0% (mean = 67.8%), whereas specificity ranged from 62.5% to 100% (mean = 81.9%). Positive predictive values ranged from 64.1% to 100% (mean = 78.9%), and negative predictive values ranged from 61.5% to 90.7% (mean = 77.1%). Guidelines are recommended for determining whether a diagnostic criterion should be retained as part of the set of diagnostic criteria, and our results suggested that two of the DSM-IV PG criteria are candidates for elimination (criterion 8—commitment of illegal acts; criterion 10—reliance on others for financial assistance to relieve a desperate financial problem).