A Study of the Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the Online Gambling Symptom Assessment Scale in the Iranian Population.

BACKGROUND

The primary objective of the current paper was to assess the psychometric attributes of the Persian version of the Online Gambling Symptom Assessment Scale (P-OGSAS) within the Iranian population.

METHODS

The current study was conducted through a convenient sampling method between September and November 2021, involving 187 participants who had experienced online gambling at least once a month for the last 3 months. OGSAS was translated from English into Persian using the forward-backward translation method. Cronbach's alpha coefficient and principal component analysis (PCA) were employed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the scale, respectively. Participants were administered a battery of assessments, including P-OGSAS, Persian Gambling Disorder Screening Questionnaire (GDSQ-P), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Items (PHQ-9), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GADQ-7), to assess validity and reliability.

FINDINGS

The results showed that the 3-factor model of this scale provides the highest level of predictability. The 3-factor model accounts for 54.8% of the square load. With a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.807, P-OGSAS demonstrated satisfactory reliability. Finally, OGSAS has a significant correlation with other scales, and as a result, this scale has suitable convergent validity.

CONCLUSION

P-OGSAS can adequately assess the symptoms and severity of online gambling. Therefore, clinicians could use this scale to evaluate the problems related to online gambling in the Iranian population.