Do the DSM-5 diagnostic revisions affect the psychometric properties of the Brief Biosocial Gambling Screen?

Abstract

Several significant changes in the diagnostic criteria for gambling disorder occurred with the newest revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The changes aim to simplify and streamline the diagnosis without compromising its validity. Yet many of the tools used to screen and diagnose the disorder are based upon the prior fourth edition of the DSM, and it is unclear how they perform with the revised diagnostic criteria. The aim of this study is to examine the psychometric properties of a common pathological gambling screen, the Brief Biosocial Gambling Screen (BBGS; Gebauer, LaBrie, & Shaffer, 2010), in the context of DSM-5 criteria within a help-seeking sample. Gamblers calling a helpline (N = 2750) completed a semi-structured interview assessing DSM-IV past-year pathological gambling criteria with a trained clinician. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and differences by sex were examined. The BBGS had high sensitivity as well as positive and negative predictive values. In light of the revisions made to the diagnostic criteria in DSM-5, the BBGS remains a psychometrically supported instrument for gambling disorder.

Keywords:

• gambling disorder
• positive predictive value
• negative predictive value
• sex

Acknowledgements

We thank the First Choice Health Systems, Inc., West Virginia Problem Gamblers Help Network and their callers for sharing the data that made this manuscript possible. The authors declare no conflicts of interest related to this manuscript.

Notes

^1. Gambling is widely available in West Virginia with lottery, slot machines (casino and non-casino based) and horse racing.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Emma I. Brett

Emma I. Brett is an undergraduate psychology student at Saint Louis University. Her research interests include addictive behaviours and the relationship between stress and addiction.

Jeremiah Weinstock

Jeremiah Weinstock is a clinical psychologist and an assistant professor of psychology at Saint Louis University. His research broadly focuses on addictions and helping individuals make lasting and meaningful change in overcoming these disorders.

Steve Burton

Steve Burton has a masters in social work and is the executive director of the West Virginia Problem Gamblers Help Network and chief executive officer of First Choice Health Systems in Charlestown, West Virginia.

Kevin R. Wenzel

Kevin R. Wenzel is a clinical psychology doctoral student at Saint Louis University. His research interests include addictions, dysregulated eating behaviours, and difficulties with impulse control.

Stefanie Weber

Stefanie Weber is a clinical psychology graduate student at Saint Louis. Her primary research interests are the co-morbidity of addiction and maladaptive coping mechanisms, as well as the role of trauma history and chronic stress in addiction aetiology.

Sheila Moran

Sheila Moran has a masters of social work and is the director of marketing and communication at First Choice Health Systems in Charlestown, West Virginia.