An assessment of the psychometric properties of Lithuanian versions of DSM-IV-MR-J and SOGS-RA.
OBJECTIVE
Since no Lithuanian instrument focuses specifically on the measurement of pathological gambling in adolescence, we aimed to adapt commonly used international instruments (SOGS-RA, DSM-IV-MR-J) and assess their psychometric properties.


METHODS
Cross-cultural adaptation of DSM-IV-MR-J and SOGS-RA was performed in several steps including translations, synthesis of translations, back-translations, expert committee review, and pre-testing. Adapted instruments were administered to randomly selected adolescents in grades V through XII from all schools in the second largest Lithuanian city (Kaunas).


RESULTS
The DSM-IV-MR-J identified 4.2% of the representative sample as pathological gamblers, whereas the SOGS-RA generated prevalence of 5.2%. Cronbach's alpha for DSM-IV-MR-J in this sample was 0.80 and 0.75 for the SOGS-RA. The correlation coefficient between the SOGS-RA and the DSM-IV-MR-J was statistically significant (Pearson correlation = 0.892, P < 0.001). Using the DSM-IV-MR-J as the baseline for pathological gambling in adolescence, the overall classification accuracy of the SOGS-RA was judged to be adequate, correctly identifying 34 out of 35 pathological gamblers (Kappa = 0.833, P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
The Lithuanian versions of DSM-IV-MR-J and SOGS-RA exhibited acceptable validity and reliability. The DSM-IV-MR-J was found to be a more conservative measure of pathological gambling.
Skokauskas
N
N
Department of Psychiatry, Kaunas University of Medicine, Kaunas, Lithuania. N_Skokauskas@yahoo.com
Burba
B
B
Freedman
D
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008097:Lithuania; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires