Gambling disorder and problem gambling in Brazil: The development of a brief screening scale.

Authors

Leonardo Carriço Apostolatos, Emilio Giroldo Tazinaffo, Juan David Tovar, Hyoun S Kim, Mirella Martins de Castro Mariani, Marcos Sanches, David C Hodgins, Hermano Tavares

Published in

Revista brasileira de psiquiatria (Sao Paulo, Brazil : 1999). Jul 07, 2026. Epub Jul 07, 2026.

Abstract

Brief, accurate, and context-sensitive screening tools are essential for detecting gambling-related problems, but most existing instruments are not validated for on-site gambling.
This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and patterns of Gambling Disorder (GD) and problem gambling among Brazilian lottery players and to develop and test a concise screening tool optimized for this on-site context.
A multistage, stratified sampling design recruited 5,407 adult gamblers at 494 lottery kiosks. Participants completed a version of the NODS adapted to DSM-5 criteria. Using an exhaustive combinatorial approach, all 2-4-item subsets from the NODS were tested for sensitivity and specificity.
Three combinations emerged as optimal. A three-item version (control, coping, chasing) showed the best balance for detecting problematic gambling (sensitivity = 96.5%), while a four-item version reached high specificity for GD (96.2%). All combinations outperformed the widely used NODS-CLiP.
The study introduces the "3-Cs screener," a novel, ultra-brief tool for on-site lottery players. Its high diagnostic accuracy makes it a promising candidate for prevention and intervention strategies, though further validation in clinical and digital settings is warranted.

PMID:
42413042
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 08 Jul 2026.

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