Spanish validation of the Problem Gambling Severity Index: A confirmatory factor analysis with sports bettors

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) is one of the most widely used screening tools for problem gambling (PG). However, to date, no empirically validated adaptation of the instrument to Spanish-speaking countries exists. METHODS: A sample of 659 sports bettors (M(age) = 35.1 years, SD = 10.12, 74.2% males) were recruited through an online research panel. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to confirm its construct validity. The participants were administered the Spanish version of the PGSI, along with the adaptation to Spanish of the DSM-IV PG instrument for convergent validity. RESULTS: The CFA of the Spanish PGSI showed satisfactory construct validity. The internal consistency (α(ordinal) = .97) as well as its convergent validity with the DSM-IV scores (r = .77, p < .001) was good. CONCLUSION: The Spanish adaptation of the PGSI offers satisfactory validity and reliability properties, and is a good psychometric instrument for exploring the social consequences of PG in Spanish-speaking contexts.