Abstract
Youth problem gambling is viewed as an emergent public health issue in many countries, and is also an emerging area of public concern in Portugal. However, there is currently no Portuguese instrument that focuses specifically on the measurement of problem gambling among young people. Consequently, the present study aimed to validate the DSM-IV-MR-J for use among Portuguese adolescents and to examine its’ psychometric properties. A cross-cultural adaption of this instrument to the Portuguese language was performed using the translation and back translation method. The final version of the instrument was administered to 753 Portuguese high school and first year college students. The findings revealed an acceptable internal reliability and replicated the one-factor structure of this scale. Based on these findings, the Portuguese DSM-IV-MR-J appears to be a valid and reliable instrument, and provides a much needed psychometric tool for the development of more research on youth gambling in Portugal.
Highlights
Youth problem gambling is viewed as an emergent public health issue in many countries, and is an emerging area of public concern in Portugal
In the adolescent gambling field, one of the most widely used instruments to assess problem gambling among this age group has been the DSM-IV-MR-J. This instrument has been administered in a significant number of countries (e.g., Great Britain, Canada, Iceland), and there are several studies conducted in different cultural contexts (e.g., Lithuania, Finland), which showed that its psychometric properties are acceptable
Based on the DSM-IV-MR-J, 3.5 % of participants were categorized as problem gamblers, with a further 9 % classified as at-risk gamblers, 53.5 % as social gamblers, and 33.3 % as non-gamblers
Summary
Youth problem gambling is viewed as an emergent public health issue in many countries, and is an emerging area of public concern in Portugal. Int J Ment Health Addiction (2016) 14:1096–1106 that youth are more receptive to modern forms of gambling than their predecessors because of the apparent similarity between these games and other familiar technology-based games (Delfabbro, King, Lambos, & Puglies, 2009) Given this widespread availability of gambling opportunities, which puts more young people at risk of developing gambling-related problems, there is a growing need to assess problem gambling among adolescents and young adults using the most robust psychometric instruments. In the adolescent gambling field, one of the most widely used instruments to assess problem gambling among this age group has been the DSM-IV-MR-J (i.e., the juvenile multiple-response version of the DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling; Fisher, 2000) This instrument has been administered in a significant number of countries (e.g., Great Britain, Canada, Iceland), and there are several studies conducted in different cultural contexts (e.g., Lithuania, Finland), which showed that its psychometric properties are acceptable. According to the new Act, the Government will provide licenses, without any kind of exclusivity, to gambling companies that want to operate within Portugal [Decreto Lei no 64/2015]
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