Measuring the pathways model through the gambling pathways questionnaire: the psychometric properties of the Italian version

ABSTRACT

Over the last decade, gambling opportunities worldwide have increased significantly, providing continual access to more people. Thus, standardized measures to assess various facets of Gambling Disorder and holistic approaches to identifying sub-groups of disordered gamblers are needed. The Gambling Pathways Questionnaire (GPQ), based on the Pathways Model of problem gambling, is designed to assign gamblers to subtypes at intake and identify a variety of salient etiological factors. This study sought to validate the Italian version of the GPQ. After the translation and adaptation of the scale to the Italian language and culture, the GPQ was administered to 490 treatment-seeking disordered gamblers (84% males, M_age = 43.77, SD = 13.25) who attended 54 treatment centers distributed across all of Italy. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the six-factor structure and internal coherence coefficients showed good to very good reliability. Moreover, cluster analysis revealed that the three-cluster solution produced the best model fit, which generally corresponded with the Pathways Model. The Italian version of the GPQ evidenced good psychometric properties, and the Italian-adapted scoring corresponds to the cluster analysis.

KEYWORDS:

• Pathways model
• GPQ
• disordered gamblers
• etiology
• confirmatory factor analysis
• cluster analysis

Acknowledgements

Author Contributions: Conceptualization, C.P., M.A.D., O.C. and L.N.; methodology, C.P. and M.A.D.; software, C.P. and M.A.D.; formal analysis, C.P. and M.A.D ; investigation, O.C., O.D., D.C., R.S., S.C., M.A., A.F., G.B., L.G., A.B., A.I. and G.I.S; data curation, C.P. and M.A.D.; writing–original draft preparation, C.P., M.A.D, O.C., O.D., D.C., R.S., S.C., M.A., A.F., G.B., L.G., A.B., A.I. and G.I.S ; writing–review and editing, C.P., M.A.D. and L.N.; All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding sources

No funding sources were declared by the authors in relation to this manuscript.

Constraints on publishing

No constraints on publishing were declared by the authors in relation to this manuscript.

Competing interests

No competing interests were declared by the authors in relation to this manuscript.

Preregistration statement

No preregistration was declared by the authors in relation to this manuscript.

Data availability statement

No data set was declared by the authors in relation to this manuscript.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/14459795.2022.2077975

Additional information

Notes on contributors

C. Primi

Caterina Primi is Full Professor in Psychometrics at School of Psychology University of Florence and she is responsible for the Psychometrics lab at the NEUROFARBA Department. She is currently conducting research into a number of topics related to test development and adaptation. She is the Director of the Specialization course “IRT Models”.

M.A. Donati

Maria Anna Donati is Assistant Professor in Psychometrics. Her research interests mainly concern the psychology of risky decision-making and behavioural addictions in adolescents, especially Gambling Disorder (GD). Her efforts are directed on analyzing the factors explaining GD, developing and adapting assessment instruments, and the constructing and evaluating preventive interventions with youth.

O. Casciani

Onofrio Casciani, Psychology and Psychotherapist, he has been working in addiction for about 40 years. His current interest is in gambling. He is President of the Italian Addiction Society for the Lazio Region and he is member of the National Observatory for combating gambling, at the Ministry of Health.

O. De Luca

Ornella De Luca is Psychologist-psychotherapist. For about 20 years she has been dealing with addiction and gambling. She is a member of the Regional Observatory (Lazio) on the phenomenon of gambling. Member of the Scientific Committee of the Italian Addiction Society. Member of ALEA, Gambling Scientific Society.

D. Capitanucci

Daniela Capitanucci is Psychologist Psychotherapist, Forensic Criminologist, Contract Lecturer in Social Psychology (School of Medicine, University of Insubria, Varese) and Member of the Gambling Observatory at the Italian Ministry of Health in Rome. Focusing on pathological gambling issues, she conducts clinical activity, specialized training, preventive interventions, research and advocacy.

R. Smaniotto

Roberta Smaniotto is a family psychotherapist psychologist. Her areas of work mainly concern the DGA, and in particular the impact on family members. She deals with the training, treatment and prevention of this disorder.

S. Cabrini

Silvia Cabrini is a clinical psychologist working on addiction and mainly on the treatment of gambling disorder in an outpatient public health setting. The main interest is to tailor the treatment of GD based on the multidimensional assessment of the client.

M. Avanzi

Maurizio Avanzi is Medical Doctor. He is the Responsible for the treatment of Gambling Disorder of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction of the Public Health Service of Piacenza. Coordinator of the working group on Gambling Disorder of the Emilia Romagna Region. Expert of Pathological Gambling in Parkinson's disease patients.

A. Fiorin

Amelia Fiorin is a clinical psychologist working on addiction and mainly on the treatment of gambling disorder. She is the Coordinator of the scientific group of gambling disorder on the Veneto. Member of the Gambling Observatory at the Ministry of Health in Rome. President Elect of ALEA- Association for the study of gambling and risky behaviours.

G. Bellio

Graziano Bellio is a Psychiatrist. Former Director of the Department of Addictions, National Health System AULSS8, Castelfranco Veneto (TV). Former President of Alea-Association for the study of gambling and risky behaviours. He currently works as private teacher and clinical advisor for gambling clinic professionals.

L. Giachero

Luca Giachero is a psychologist and psychotherapist at the Addiction Department of Turin, National Health Service. He is a member of the Regional Coordination on Gambling Disorder and Head of the Clinical and Treatment Working Group. You are involved in treatment of addict patients, expecially pathological gamblers in individual and group settings.

A. Baselice

Aniello Baselice is a psychotherapist specialized in group therapy for patients with addiction. He is director of the prevention and treatment programs for drug, alcohol and gambling addictions in the LOGOS Group and in the Addiction Department of Local Health Service - Salerno. For fifteen years he has been training health and social workers specialized in the prevention and treatment of Gambling Disorder (GD).

A. Iozzi

Adriana Iozzi is Director of UFC Pathological Addictions Services (SERD) Zone 1of Florence AUSL Toscana Centro. She has been working in the field of pathological addictions since 1992 and since 2005 she has been coordinating Gambling Disorder within the Tuscany region as a member of GD Regional Observatory and coordinator of regional technical group.

G. Iraci Sareri

Giuseppe Iraci Sareri is a Psycholgist and Psychoterapist. He is the Technical-Health Director of the Residential and Semi-Residential Therapeutic Programs of the Gruppo Incontro including Project Drive for the treatment of people with Gambling Disorder. Member of the Tuscany Region Gambling Expert Group. Member and Teacher of the Institute of Integrated Psychodynamic Psychotherapy.

L. Nower

Lia Nower is a Professor. She directs the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University. Her research focuses on etiology, treatment, and policy issues surrounding gambling and gaming. She is a regional assistant editor (International Gambling Studies), an associate editor (Addiction), and a member of the National Council on Problem Gambling Board of Directors.