Psychometric properties of a brief on-line screening instrument to detect at-risk gamblers

Abstract

Background: Gambling facilitates the development of psychopathological problems in some gamblers. Rapid and easy detection of the presence of these problems, or the risk of their development, will allow early action at the beginning of the problem, including preventive action. For this purpose, we developed the “Sistema de Cribado de Riesgo de Problemas de Juegos” (SCRI-PJ [Risk of Gambling Problems Screening System]), an on-line instrument for the detection of people who have, or may develop, gambling problems. The goal of this work is to present and validate the SCRI-PJ.

Method: 85 people with gambling problems undergoing treatment and 119 people from the general population were assessed with the SCRI-PJ and the DSM-RT Diagnostic Criteria for Pathological Gambling questionnaire.

Results: The SCRI-PJ showed high internal consistency (α = .96), sensitivity (94.2%) specifi city (91.4%), with a negative predictive value of 98.6%. Conclusion: The SCRI-PJ is a brief and effective screening instrument to detect people with gambling problems or who are at risk of developing them.