Development and validation of the gambling problems scale

The purpose of the present study was to examine the initial psychometric properties of the Gambling Problems Scale (GPS), developed for the college student population. Participants were college students recruited for an ongoing larger clinical trial from a Midwestern university who reported gambling in the past 60 days and who were experiencing gambling-related problems, scoring +3 on the South Oaks Gambling Screen or +1 on the Brief Biopsychosocial Gambling Index (N = 334). Factor analyses and reliability analyses were conducted to examine the validity of score interpretation and the reliability of scores for the measure. Results suggested a 16-item unidimensional measure provided the best parsimony and theoretical fit. Examination of concurrent and incremental validity of scores provided additional support for the psychometric properties of the GPS. The GPS may be a useful tool for researchers and clinicians interested in examining gambling-related problems among college students and other young adults.