Abstract
Specific diagnostic criteria for pathological gambling (PG) have been available for 25 years, since the publication of DSM-III. Little research has examined the psychometric performance of the diagnostic criteria. The goal of the present report from the Rhode Island Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services (MIDAS) project was to examine the sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of the DSM-IV PG criteria for psychiatric outpatients who screened positive for a gambling problem. A total of 1709 psychiatric outpatients were evaluated with a semistructured diagnostic interview for PG. Of all patients 88 screened positive for PG, 40 of whom met DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for a lifetime history of PG. All ten DSM-IV criteria were significantly more frequent in the PG group. The sensitivity of the criteria ranged from 25.0% to 90.0% (mean = 67.8%), whereas specificity ranged from 62.5% to 100% (mean = 81.9%). Positive predictive values ranged from 64.1% to 100% (mean = 78.9%), and negative predictive values ranged from 61.5% to 90.7% (mean = 77.1%). Guidelines are recommended for determining whether a diagnostic criterion should be retained as part of the set of diagnostic criteria, and our results suggested that two of the DSM-IV PG criteria are candidates for elimination (criterion 8—commitment of illegal acts; criterion 10—reliance on others for financial assistance to relieve a desperate financial problem).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Duvarci I., Varan A., Coskunol H., & Ersoy M. (1997). DSM-IV and the South Oaks Gambling Screen: Diagnosing and assessing pathological gambling in Turkey. Journal of Gambling Studies, 13, 193–206.
Feighner J. P., Robins E., Guze S. B., Woodruff R. A., Winokur G., & Munoz R. (1972). Diagnostic criteria for use in psychiatric research. Archives of General Psychiatry, 26, 57–67.
First M. B., Spitzer R. L., Gibbon M., Williams J. B. W. (1995) Structured clinical interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders––patient edition (SCID-I/P, version 2.0). New York: Biometrics Research Department, New York State Psychiatric Institute.
Fleiss J. (1981) Statistical methods for rates and proportions. (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley and Sons.
Kupfer D., First M., & Regier D. (2002) A research agenda for DSM-V. Washington: American Psychiatric Association.
Lesieur H. R., & Rosenthal R. J. (1991). Pathological gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies, 4, 5–40.
Toce-Gerstein M., Gerstein D., & Volberg R., (2003). A hierarchy of gambling disorders in the community. Addiction, 98, 1161–1672.
Zimmerman M., (2003) Integrating the assessment methods of researchers in routine clinical practice: The Rhode Island Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services (MIDAS) project In: First M., (ed.), Standardized evaluation in clinical practice. (vol. 22) Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc pp. 29–74.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zimmerman, M., Chelminski, I. & Young, D. A Psychometric Evaluation of the DSM-IV Pathological Gambling Diagnostic Criteria. J Gambl Stud 22, 329–337 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-006-9020-x
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-006-9020-x