ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Cognitive distortions are related to gambling frequency and gambling severity. Having a culturally sensitive measure to assess cognitive distortions will facilitate the early detection of people who might be at risk of developing problematic gambling behaviors. The Gamblers' Beliefs Questionnaire was translated into Spanish (GBQ-S) but no previous study explored the structure of the GBQ-S in a non-US sample with different levels of gambling involvement. AIM: The present study examined the factor structure of the GBQ-S in a community sample of gamblers from Argentina. It also analyzed the association between cognitive distortions and type of gambling activity and frequency of gambling behaviors and the predictive utility of the GBQ-S on gambling severity. PARTICIPANTS: 508 youth and adults completed the GBQ-S. RESULTS: The CFA showed an overall acceptable fit to the data confirming the proposed two-factor model. Scores of the two GBQ sub-scales were positively and significantly correlated with scores on gambling severity. Cognitive distortions have a significant effect on gambling severity after controlling for frequency of engagement in gambling activities. Luck and perseverance, but not illusion of control, was positively related to gambling severity. DISCUSSION: scores measured by the GBQ-S exhibit adequate psychometric properties for the accurate assessment of cognitive distortions across adults and youth from the general community of Argentina.
ABSTRACT
Growing evidence for the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy for disordered gambling supports the need for a comprehensive set of gambling-related assessment measures that have been validated with treatment-seeking samples. The Gamblers' Beliefs Questionnaire (GBQ) is a self-report measure that was designed to identify gambling-related cognitive distortions (Steenbergh, Meyers, May, & Whelan, 2002). In this study, the GBQ demonstrated good internal consistency and adequate construct validity in a treatment-seeking sample of disordered gamblers. Additionally, scores on the measure significantly decreased across a brief cognitive-behavioral treatment, providing validity support for use of the GBQ with a clinical population.
Subject(s)
Attitude to Health , Gambling/psychology , Surveys and Questionnaires/standards , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Cognitive Behavioral Therapy/methods , Female , Gambling/therapy , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Psychometrics , Self Report , Treatment Outcome , Young AdultABSTRACT
Gambling-related self-efficacy has been shown to correspond with treatment success and maintenance of treatment gains. Accordingly, there is a need for gambling assessment measures that have been validated with treatment-seeking individuals. In this study, we reported on the evaluation of a measure of perceived self-efficacy to control gambling behavior in high-risk relapse situations, the Gambling Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (GSEQ; May, Whelan, Steenbergh, & Meyers, 2003). Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses provided some support for the original single-factor solutions, but also suggested the presence of individual patterns of self-efficacy across high-risk situations. The GSEQ demonstrated convergence with indices of problem-gambling severity and scores on the measure significantly increased across a brief cognitive-behavioral intervention. The sensitivity and specificity were evaluated and the findings supported that an average self-efficacy rating of 70% corresponded with indices of pathological gambling.
Subject(s)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy , Gambling/therapy , Patient Acceptance of Health Care , Self Efficacy , Surveys and Questionnaires , Adult , Factor Analysis, Statistical , Female , Gambling/psychology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Psychometrics , Sensitivity and Specificity , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
The U.S. Spanish-speaking population has rapidly increased in recent decades and there is a need for psychometrically supported assessment measures for researchers and clinicians who work with this population. A Spanish version of a self-report measure of gamblers' cognitive distortions [Gamblers' Beliefs Questionnaire (GBQ); Steenbergh, Meyers, Whelan, & May, 2002] was translated and psychometrically evaluated in a sample of 219 Spanish-speaking Hispanics residing in the southeast United States. The GBQ-S showed high internal consistency (α = .95). Factor analytic data supported a factor structure similar to the initial psychometric evaluation of the English version. Probable pathological gamblers reported significantly more cognitive distortions on the GBQ-S than nongamblers and nonpathological gamblers.
