Criterion-related and construct validity of the Problem Gambling Severity Index in a sample of South African gamblers

The Problem Gambling Severity Index, the scored module of the Canadian Problem Gambling Index, is a population-based survey instrument that is becoming the preferred epidemiological tool for estimating the prevalence of disordered gambling. While some validation evidence for the Problem Gambling Severity Index is available, very little is known about its psychometric characteristics in developing countries or in countries the populations of which are not highly Westernised. The aim of this study was to investigate the validity of the Problem Gambling Severity Index with a specific focus on its criterion-related and construct (concurrent) validity in a community sample of gamblers in South Africa (n = 127). To this end, the Problem Gambling Severity Index was administered alongside the Diagnostic Interview for Gambling Severity and measures known to associate with gambling severity (impulsivity, current debt, social problems, financial loss, race, sex). Results showed that the Problem Gambling Severity Index was predictive of Diagnostic Interview for Gambling Severity diagnosis from both a categorical and dimensional point of view and demonstrated high discrimination accuracy for subjects with problem gambling. Analysis of sensitivity and specificity at different cut-points suggests that a slightly lower Problem Gambling Severity Index score may be used as a screening cut-off for problem gambling among 1 Brain and Behaviour Initiative, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, South Africa 2Department of Psychology, University of Houston, USA 3 Research Unit in Behavioural Economics and Neuroeconomics, School of Economics, University of Cape Town, South Africa 4School of Economics, Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, France 5School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa 6School of Management Studies, University of Cape Town, South Africa 7 Center for Economic Analysis of Risk, Georgia State University, USA Corresponding author: Andrew M Dellis, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Office 21, J-Block Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory, Cape Town, 7925, South Africa. Email: [email protected] 522367 SAP0010.1177/0081246314522367South African Journal of PsychologyDellis et al. research-article2014