Adaptation Study of the Turkish Version of the Gambling-Related Cognitions Scale (GRCS-T)

Abstract

This study aimed to adapt and to test the validity and the reliability of the Turkish version of the Gambling-Related Cognitions Scale (GRCS-T) that was developed by Raylu and Oei (Addiction 99(6):757-769, 2004a). The significance of erroneous cognitions in the development and the maintenance of gambling problems, the importance of promoting gambling research in different cultures, and the limited information about the gambling individuals in Turkey due to limited gambling research interest inspired the present study. The sample consisted of 354 voluntary male participants who were above age 17 and betting on sports and horse races selected through convenience sampling in betting terminals. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis following the original scale's five factor structure indicated a good fit for the data. The analyses were carried out with 21 items due to relatively inadequate psychometric properties of two GRCS-T items. Correlational analyses and group comparison tests supported the concurrent and the criterion validity of the GRCS-T. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the whole scale was 0.84 whereas the coefficients ranged between 0.52 and 0.78 for the subscales of GRCS-T. The findings suggesting that GRCS-T is a valid and reliable instrument to identify gambling cognitions in Turkish samples are discussed considering the possible influence of the sample make-up and cultural texture within the limitations of the present study and in the light of the relevant literature.

Post-traumatic stress and gambling related cognitions: Analyses in inpatient and online samples

“…These associations also seem to appear in a variety of cultural contexts, with studies of gamblers in Italy demonstrating links between GRCs and a variety of distress indicators such as anxiety, depression, and neuroticism (Iliceto et al, 2015). Similarly, in a Turkish sample, such cognitions were associated with greater negative affect (Arcan & Karanci, 2015). Collectively, these findings suggest that GRCs are associated with greater psychological distress, though it is unclear which direction these associations might flow (e.g., which phenomena leads to the other) or if both phenomena might be better accounted for by underlying variables such as neuroticism (i.e., a dispositional tendency toward negative affect).…”

Fallacious beliefs: Gambling specific and belief in the paranormal.

“…Initial validation of this measure was undertaken using a large (n = 968) demographically diverse Australian community sample. Additional studies of the GRCS have led to creation and validation of Italian (Iliceto et al, 2015), Turkish (Arcan & Karanci, 2015), and Chinese (Oei et al, 2007) versions of the measure (with the original factor structure supported in these subsequent studies). Higher GRCS scores have been found to be associated with problem gambling (Cosenza, Baldassarre, Matarazzo, & Nigro, 2014;Marmurek, Switzer, & D'Alvise, 2014, the increased likelihood of relapse in problem gambling , neuroticism (Iliceto et al, 2015), and "proneness to delusion" (Abdollahnejad, Delfabbro, & Denson, 2015).…”

Gambling-Related Distortions and Problem Gambling in Adolescents: A Model to Explain Mechanisms and Develop Interventions

“…These distortions, e.g., mistaken perceptions of the role of personal ability in gambling, misrepresentations of the chances of winning, false beliefs about the possibility to control or predict gambling outcomes, are deemed important risk factors for pathological gambling in both adults and adolescents. Indeed, high levels of cognitive distortions have been found to be associated with high levels of gambling frequency and to play an important role in the development of problem gambling in adults ( Raylu and Oei, 2004 ; Arcan and Karanci, 2015 ; see Fortune and Goodie, 2012 , for a review). Consistently, cognitive distortions related to gambling predict the frequency of gambling ( Donati et al, 2015 ) and are strong predictors of problem gambling among adolescents (e.g., Taylor et al, 2014 ; Cosenza and Nigro, 2015 ; Donati et al, 2015 ).…”