Validation of the Persian Version of the Online Problem Gambling Behavior Index and its Association with Gambling Severity Index and Socio-Demographic Factors

Many factors in current evaluations highlight the negative impacts and dangers linked to problem gambling. However, few screening instruments for problem gambling assess behaviors that are exclusively based on real gambling actions such as duration of play, frequency of gambling, and gambling late at night. One new screening instrument that assesses behavioral aspects of problem gambling is the 12-item Online Problem Gambling Behavior Index (OPGBI). The aim of the present study was to validate the Persian version of the scale within the Iranian context, and examine its relationship with the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) and different socio-demographic variables. A total of 498 participants completed an online survey. The OPGBI scale showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s α =0.946). Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to evaluate the validity of the OPGBI, with all loaded items exceeding .50 and all coefficients being significant. There was a strong correlation between the OPGBI and PGSI (r=.846, p<.01). The alpha coefficients for the three factors of OPGBI were equal to or greater than .70. Correlation between the three OPGBI factors were all significantly related to PGSI score: gambling behavior (r=.824, p<.01), communication (r=.764, p<.01), and limit-setting (r=.785, p<.01). The three factors explained almost 72% of the variance (R2 = 71.9%). The findings demonstrate that the Persian OPGBI is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing problematic online gambling behavior among Iranian adults.