TY - JOUR
T1 - Separating Problem Gambling Behaviors and Negative Consequences
T2 - Examining the Factor Structure of the PGSI
AU - Tseng, Chen Hsiang
AU - Flack, Mal
AU - Caudwell, Kim M
AU - Stevens, Matthew
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding for the 2018 Gambling Prevalence and Wellbeing Survey was provided by the Northern Territory Government Department of Attorney General and Justice via the Community Benefit Fund. The Northern Territory Government Department of Attorney General and Justice and Community Benefit Fund had no role in the study design, collection, analysis or interpretation of the data, writing the manuscript, or the decision to submit the paper for publication.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Author(s)
PY - 2023/1
Y1 - 2023/1
N2 - There is some uncertainty on how to best conceptualise and measure problem gambling and debate as to whether it is helpful to differentiate the behavioral features of problematic gambling from the negative consequences of gambling. The current study explores this issue by examining the factor structure of a commonly-used problem gambling measure, the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), as administered to respondents in the 2018 Northern Territory Gambling Prevalence and Wellbeing Survey (n = 3,740 gamblers). Confirmatory factor analyses revealed a two-factor solution offered significant improvement in fit over the one-factor model. Further, the two factors explained unique variance in the number of gambling-related harms experienced by respondents. Although the two factors were highly correlated, the current findings indicate problem gambling behaviors are related to the negative consequences of gambling, but these are not necessarily synonymous. This suggests isolating behavioral and consequential elements of gambling may have utility in public health interventions for gambling that, while concerning, falls below a clinically-significant threshold. Similarly, clinically-oriented research may benefit by measuring the behavioral features, as these components are important targets for individual-level interventions.
AB - There is some uncertainty on how to best conceptualise and measure problem gambling and debate as to whether it is helpful to differentiate the behavioral features of problematic gambling from the negative consequences of gambling. The current study explores this issue by examining the factor structure of a commonly-used problem gambling measure, the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), as administered to respondents in the 2018 Northern Territory Gambling Prevalence and Wellbeing Survey (n = 3,740 gamblers). Confirmatory factor analyses revealed a two-factor solution offered significant improvement in fit over the one-factor model. Further, the two factors explained unique variance in the number of gambling-related harms experienced by respondents. Although the two factors were highly correlated, the current findings indicate problem gambling behaviors are related to the negative consequences of gambling, but these are not necessarily synonymous. This suggests isolating behavioral and consequential elements of gambling may have utility in public health interventions for gambling that, while concerning, falls below a clinically-significant threshold. Similarly, clinically-oriented research may benefit by measuring the behavioral features, as these components are important targets for individual-level interventions.
KW - Problem Gambling
KW - Gambling Disorder
KW - Gambling Negative ConsequencesGambling-Related Harms
KW - Gambling-Related Harms
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85138757032&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107496
DO - 10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107496
M3 - Article
SN - 0306-4603
VL - 136
SP - 1
EP - 7
JO - Addictive Behaviors
JF - Addictive Behaviors
M1 - 107496
ER -