Evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Gambling Motives Questionnaire in Argentinian young people and adults

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate, in a sample of young people and adults from the general community, the psychometric properties of two models developed for assessing gambling motives (Gambling Motives Questionnaire and Gambling Motives Questionnaire-Financial; GMQ and GMQ-F). Specifically, a confirmatory factor analysis was carried out to assess the fit of the two models to the data. Internal consistency of the scales was then analyzed. A multiple regression analysis was conducted to analyze the utility of gambling motives for predicting levels of gambling problem severity. The final sample was made up of 341 young people and adults, aged 18 to 60, who reported any gambling activity during the last six months. The maximum likelihood (ML) method with robust Satorra-Bentler correction was used to evaluate the fit of the models to the data. The results indicated that both the GMQ and the GMQ-F models show a reasonable fit to the data. All scales have adequate internal consistency values. Enhancement, coping and financial gambling motives were associated with greater severity of gambling problems. Overall, the results indicate that both models have adequate psychometric properties, though the GMQF appears to provide a more comprehensive alternative for assessing gambling motives in the general community.