The Berlin Inventory of Gambling behavior – Screening (BIG-S): Validation using a clinical sample

Abstract

Abstract Background Published diagnostic questionnaires for gambling disorder in German are either based on DSM-III criteria or focus on aspects other than life time prevalence. This study was designed to assess the usability of the DSM-IV criteria based Berlin Inventory of Gambling Behavior Screening tool in a clinical sample and adapt it to DSM-5 criteria. Methods In a sample of 432 patients presenting for behavioral addiction assessment at the University Medical Center Mainz, we checked the screening tool’s results against clinical diagnosis and compared a subsample of n=300 clinically diagnosed gambling disorder patients with a comparison group of n=132. Results The BIG-S produced a sensitivity of 99.7% and a specificity of 96.2%. The instrument’s unidimensionality and the diagnostic improvements of DSM-5 criteria were verified by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis as well as receiver operating characteristic analysis. Conclusions The BIG-S is a reliable and valid screening tool for gambling disorder and demonstrated its concise and comprehensible operationalization of current DSM-5 criteria in a clinical setting.

Keywords

• Gambling disorder
• Diagnostic tool
• Screening
• Validation
• Usability
• DSM V