Measurement invariance of the Problem Gambling Severity Index across sociodemographics and gambling modalities

The Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) has been extensively used to identify the severity of problematic gambling behaviors in the general population; however, presently there is a lack of research that ensures that the PGSI measures the same latent construct in a consistent way across different socio-demographic groups (age, gender, income, education, and race) and gambling modalities (online, sports, and casino gamblers). This concept, known as measurement invariance (MI), is important as it reinforces the validity of the scale as well as survey research conclusions in the field of problem gambling. A sample of nationally representative respondents in the United States was used to test the measurement invariance of the PGSI (n = 2,972). Measurement invariance was tested using multiple group confirmatory factor analysis across the various comparison groups. Analysis supported the measurement invariance of the PGSI across demographic groups (sex, age, race, income, and education) as well as gambling modalities (online gambling, sports wagering, and casino gambling). Differences in latent means demonstrated that younger adults, sports wagerers, and online gamblers reported higher problem gambling severity. As the global gambling industry continues to grow and expand into new jurisdictions, this study has implications for both scientific and clinical use of the PGSI as an instrument to diagnose gambling disorder.