title: Thresholds of probable problematic gambling involvement for the German population: Results of the Pathological Gambling and Epidemiology (PAGE) Study.
abstract: Consumption measures in gambling research may help to establish thresholds of low-risk gambling as 1 part of evidence-based responsible gambling strategies. The aim of this study is to replicate existing Canadian thresholds of probable low-risk gambling (Currie et al., 2006) in a representative dataset of German gambling behavior (Pathological Gambling and Epidemiology [PAGE]; N = 15,023). Receiver-operating characteristic curves applied in a training dataset (60%) extracted robust thresholds of low-risk gambling across 4 nonexclusive definitions of gambling problems (1 + to 4 + Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition [DSM-5] Composite International Diagnostic Interview [CIDI] symptoms), different indicators of gambling involvement (across all game types; form-specific) and different timeframes (lifetime; last year). Logistic regressions applied in a test dataset (40%) to cross-validate the heuristics of probable low-risk gambling incorporated confounding covariates (age, gender, education, migration, and unemployment) and confirmed the strong concurrent validity of the thresholds. Moreover, it was possible to establish robust form-specific thresholds of low-risk gambling (only for gaming machines and poker). Possible implications for early detection of problem gamblers in offline or online environments are discussed. Results substantiate international knowledge about problem gambling prevention and contribute to a German discussion about empirically based guidelines of low-risk gambling.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology and Cognition Research.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brosowski
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology and Cognition Research.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hayer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology and Cognition Research.
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lübeck.
authors.forename: Hans-Jürgen
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Rumpf
authors.affiliation: Institute of Social Medicine and Prevention, University Medicine Greifswald.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: John
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lübeck.
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bischof
authors.affiliation: Institute of Social Medicine and Prevention, University Medicine Greifswald.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Meyer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012372:ROC Curve; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult