The validity and reliability of four measures of gambling behaviour in a sample of Singapore University students

The primary aim of this study was to determine the reliability and validity of measures for detecting problem gamblers for use with university students in a Singapore context. The four instruments commonly used in gambling research, the DSM-IV, GA-20, SOGS and CPGI were administered to a sample of students (n = 193) from a representative cross section of faculties from one university. The CPGI was found to be the most reliable (α = 0.922) and valid in terms of construct validity as demonstrated by factor analysis. Despite being a lengthy instrument it is recommended that future studies such as randomized controlled trials of problem gambling interventions in Singapore adopt a modified version of the CPGI, made simpler and easier to use with fewer items and more appropriate terminology