Abstract
Impaired subjective awareness of problem gambling may act as a barrier to help-seeking and treatment adherence. However, the impact of impaired problem gambling awareness on clinical and social outcomes has received little empirical study. The aim of this study was to develop and investigate the psychometric properties of a novel scale that measures impaired illness awareness in individuals with problem gambling. We developed the Gambling Awareness and Insight Scale (GAS), a self-report measure that assesses the core theoretical constructs of illness awareness in problem gambling, namely General Disorder or Problem Awareness, Accurate Symptom Attribution, Awareness of Need for Treatment and the Negative Consequences attributable to problem gambling (www.illnessawarenessscales.com). Data were acquired from an online survey platform, Dynata, to evaluate the psychometric properties of the GAS. A total of 100 participants aged 18 years or older with problem gambling defined by a score of 4 or more on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) Pathological Gambling Diagnostic Form were included. The GAS demonstrated good convergent (r = 0.57, p < 0.001) and discriminant validity (r = − 0.18, p = 0.080). It also demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.80) and one-month test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation = 0.86). An exploratory factor analysis suggested retention of two components. The GAS is a novel psychometric tool designed to evaluate impaired subjective illness awareness in problem gambling. Initial evidence suggests that the GAS can be used in research and clinical settings to evaluate the impact of impaired problem gambling awareness on adherence to treatment programs, clinical and psychosocial outcomes. Replication in applied settings is needed.
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This study was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).
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P.G. reports receiving research support from the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR), Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Ontario Mental Health Foundation (OMHF), and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). P.S. reports receiving funding from the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute, CIHR, Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, Cancer Care Ontario, CAMH, Health Canada, Medical Psychiatry Alliance, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and the Public Health Agency of Canada. P.S. also reports funding from the following commercial organizations: Patient-Centred Outcome Research Institute, and Pfizer Incorporated. Through an open tender process, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, and Pfizer Inc. are vendors of record for providing free/discounted smoking cessation pharmacotherapy for research studies. F.C. has received funding from the CIHR Post-doctoral Fellowship Award and the CAMH Foundation. A.G.-G. has received support from the United States National Institute of Health, CIHR, OMHF, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, the Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología del DF, the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (Formerly NARSAD), the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation Early Research Award, and Janssen. All other authors have declared that there are no conflicts of interest in relation to the subject of this study
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Kim, J., Amaev, A., Quilty, L.C. et al. A Measure to Assess Illness Awareness in Problem Gambling: Gambling Awareness and Insight Scale (GAS). J Gambl Stud 38, 1029–1043 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-021-10037-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-021-10037-y