title: The gambling urge scale: development, confirmatory factor validation, and psychometric properties.
abstract: The urge to gamble is a physiological, psychological, or emotional motivational state, often associated with continued gambling. The authors developed and validated the 6-item Gambling Urge Questionnaire (GUS), which was based on the 8-item Alcohol Urge Questionnaire (M. J. Bohn, D. D. Krahn, & B. A. Staehler, 1995), using 968 community-based participants. Exploratory factor analysis using half of the sample indicated a 1-factor solution that accounted for 55.18% of the total variance. This was confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis with the other half of the sample. The GUS had a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of.81. Concurrent, predictive, and criterion-related validity of the GUS were good, suggesting that the GUS is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing gambling urges among nonclinical gamblers.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Namrata
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Raylu
authors.forename: Tian P S
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Oei
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D007174:Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires