Item response theory is a set of models and methods allowing for the analysis of binary or ordinal variables (items) that are influenced by a latent variable or latent trait-that is, a variable that cannot be measured directly. The theory was originally developed in educational assessment but has many other applications in clinical research, ecology, psychiatry, and economics. The Mokken scales have been described by Mokken (1971, A Theory and Procedure of Scale Analysis [De Gruyter]). They are composed of items that satisfy the three fundamental assumptions of item response theory: unidimensionality, monotonicity, and local independence. They can be considered nonparametric models in item response theory. Traces of the items and Loevinger's H coefficients are particularly useful indexes for checking whether a set of items constitutes a Mokken scale. However, these indexes are not available in general statistical packages. We introduce Stata commands to compute them. We also describe the options available and provide examples of output.
Irrational thinking might be central in the maintenance of pathological gambling and should therefore be assessed, as other gambling-related cognitions (GRC), before treatment, especially when cognitive-behavioural therapy is proposed. Assessment tools investigating GRC exist but none are in French. Raylu and Oei have developed the Gambling-Related Cognitions Scale (GRCS), consisting of 23 items and a five-factor model. We aimed to determine if the French version of the GRCS had psychometric properties similar to those of the original version. Three hundred seventy-nine undergraduate students and 13 problem/pathological gamblers seeking treatment at the University Hospital of Nantes completed the GRCS. Confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and multitrait analysis were performed. The French adaptation of the GRCS is a useful instrument for assessing GRC in order to appreciate the severity of pathological gambling, and it has the potential capacity to measure the treatment effect. Other studies are required to confirm test-retest reliability and sensitivity to change.
Analyzing latent variables is becoming more and more important in several fields, such as clinical research, psychology, educational sciences, ecology, and epidemiology. The item response theory allows analyzing latent variables measured by questionnaires of items with binary or ordinal responses. The Rasch model is the best known model of this theory for binary responses. Although one can estimate the parameters of the Rasch model with the clogit or xtlogit command (or with the unofficial gllamm command), these commands require special data preparation. The proposed raschtest command easily allows estimating the parameters of the Rasch model and fitting the resulting model.
The authors examined gamblers' perceptions of Texas Hold'Em (HE) poker, especially regarding excessive behaviours and the nature of skill involved. Sixteen regular HE gamblers were assessed through a semi-structured interview and took part in a session of gambling exposure. A qualitative thematic analysis and a comparative analysis on problem and social gamblers were performed. Problem gamblers had an emotional profile that was characterized by a lack of self-regulation and difficulties with delayed gratification. The desire to take on a new persona through poker seems to be implicated in excessive poker behaviours. Three kinds of skills came to the fore: technical skills (mastery of rules and strategies), psychological skills (self-regulation and accurate analysis of adversaries), and financial skills (the ability to correctly assess the financial risk). The results support the fact that poker deserves to be set apart from other gambling forms, especially when it comes to prevention and treatment.
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