Adaptation and validation of the Japanese version of the Gambling Urge Scale

In Japan, accurately assessing and targeting gambling urges is important for the treatment of gambling disorder because people are constantly exposed to external triggers that elicit gambling urges. However, a valid measure that assesses gambling urges has not been adequately established. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the Gambling Urge Scale (GUS-J), which is a well-known valid 6-item instrument in English-speaking countries. Two hundred and thirty-nine participants completed questionnaires, 86 of which met the criteria for a probable gambling disorder. As with the original GUS, the GUS-J was demonstrated to be a one-factor model that accounted for 63.82% of the total item variance, with all items demonstrating loadings of .40 or higher. With regard to reliability, the GUS-J showed good internal consistency (α = .88). Furthermore, validity based on evidence of relationships with other variables, especially convergent and concurrent validity of the GUS-J, were supported by several analyses that examined hypotheses based on previous findings. In conclusion, this study showed that the GUS-J has good psychometric properties as an assessment tool for gambling urges in Japanese people and it will be useful for future clinical practice and research.