The Canadian Problem Gambling Index 2000 [Canada]: Canadian National Validation Survey

The development of the Canadian Problem Gambling Index (CPGI) was the result of a collaborative, three-year project entitled Measuring Problem Gambling in Canada. This project was conducted in two phases. The first phase (Phase I) involved the creation of an operational definition of problem gambling and the designing of an instrument for measuring problem gambling in the general population. The second phase (Phase II) involved testing the validity and reliability of the new instrument in a Canada-wide gambling prevalence study. The dataset presented here is the result of Phase II testing. The final survey questionnaire, the CPGI, was administered to a random sample of 3,120 adults selected from the ten Canadian provinces. This large, general population survey was conducted for three reasons. First, the large sample size allowed for fine-tuning the new instrument in terms of selecting items to be included and/or discarded in future iterations. Second, the survey provided a basis for comparison of the new instrument scored items with those from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) and South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) measures. Finally, the survey provided gambling and problem gambling prevalence information for Canada and for individual Canadian provinces, and these data can be used as a benchmark for subsequent national or provincial studies.