Development and validation of the Emotional Gambling Scale (EGS) in a community sample from Spain with recent history of gambling.

BACKGROUND

Difficulties in emotion regulation involving both positive and negative emotional states are central to gambling disorder. This study developed and validated the Emotional Gambling Scale (EGS), a measure designed to assess the extent to which specific emotions trigger gambling urges.

METHOD: The initial 55-item EGS used a five-point Likert scale. Following item analysis, 30 items were removed due to limited variability, extreme non-normality, or low item-total correlations, resulting in a final 25-item scale. The final version was administered to 371 Spanish-speaking individuals with recent gambling experience (mean age = 28.5, SD = 11.6; 54.4% male). Factor structure was examined using exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Internal consistency was evaluated via Cronbach's alpha and omega coefficients. Construct validity was assessed through correlations with gambling severity (NODS), gambling-related cognitions (GRCS-S), impulsivity (UPPS-P), anxiety and depression (HADS), and quality of life (QLI).

RESULTS

Sampling adequacy was excellent (KMO = 0.93), and Bartlett's test of sphericity was significant, χ²(300) = 11,633.47, p < .001. EFA supported a two-factor structure comprising Positive Emotions (15 items) and Negative Emotions (10 items), explaining 70.8% of the variance. The factors were moderately correlated (r = .58). CFA supported the adequacy of the two-factor model, χ²(274) = 947.80, CFI = 0.993, TLI = 0.993, RMSEA = 0.082, and SRMR = 0.070. Standardized factor loadings ranged from 0.75 to 0.93. Internal consistency was excellent for both Positive Emotions (α = 0.96, ω = 0.97) and Negative Emotions (α = 0.94, ω = 0.96). Both subscales showed significant associations with gambling severity, gambling-related cognitions, impulsivity, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and quality of life.

CONCLUSIONS

The EGS appears to be a reliable and valid measure of emotional triggers for gambling urges. Findings support the distinction between positive and negative emotion-driven behavior while also suggesting the presence of a broader emotional gambling vulnerability dimension.