Separating Behaviours and Adverse Consequences in the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI): A Confirmatory Factor...

Area of Science:

• Psychological assessment
• Behavioral science
• Addiction research

Background:

• The Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) is a widely used tool for measuring problem gambling.
• The PGSI consists of nine items that can be conceptualized as two subdomains: problematic behaviors and adverse consequences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the evidence supporting a one-factor structure versus a two-factor structure of the PGSI.
• To investigate whether collapsing the two subdomains into a single factor leads to a loss of information.

Main Methods:

• Confirmatory factor analyses and Rasch analyses were used with a sample of 1,251 bettors.
• Stochastic search variable selection was employed to assess the impact of combining subdomains.

Main Results:

• The study found stronger evidence supporting a two-factor structure for the PGSI compared to a one-factor structure.
• The two factors (problematic behaviors and adverse consequences) were highly correlated.
• Most predictors were shared across the two factors, with only one exception.

Conclusions:

• A two-factor structure provides a more nuanced understanding of problem gambling, differentiating between behaviors and consequences.
• The one-factor structure of the PGSI is recommended for general clinical and research use unless specific investigation into the relationship between behaviors and consequences is required.