The South Oaks Gambling Screen is a 20-item questionnaire based on DSM-
III criteria for pathological gambling. It may be self-administered or
administered by nonprofessional or professional interviewers. A total of
1,616 subjects were involved in its development: 867 patients with
diagnoses of substance abuse and pathological gambling, 213 members of
Gamblers Anonymous, 384 university students, and 152 hospital employees.
Independent validation by family members and counselors was obtained for
the calibration sample, and internal consistency and test- retest
reliability were established. The instrument correlates well with the
criteria of the revised version of DSM-III (DSM-III-R). It offers a
convenient means to screen clinical populations of alcoholics and drug
abusers, as well as general populations, for pathological gambling.Abstract Teaser