Translation, adaptation, and psychometric validation of the Urdu version of the Gaming Disorder Test (GDT-Urdu) among Pakistani adults

Background Gaming Disorder (GD) has been recognized as a diagnosable behavioral addiction; however, no validated Urdu-language scale for assessing GD has been available. This study aimed to translate, adapt, and validate the Gaming Disorder Test (GDT) for use in Urdu-speaking populations and to evaluate its psychometric properties. Method A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 385 Pakistani adults (46.5% men, 53.5% women; Mean age = 22.43, SD = 3.62), ranging in education from intermediate to master’s level (Mean = a bachelor’s degree). GDT was translated and validated through established procedures including forward-backward translation, face validity, pilot testing, confirmatory factor analysis, Rasch analysis, and assessment of convergent validity. Results The GDT-Urdu demonstrated strong internal consistency throughout the three phases of the study (Cronbach’s α = 0.902, 0.845, 0.918). CFA supported the unidimensional structure, with satisfactory model fit indices (such as comparative fit index = 0.996, Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.989, root mean square error of approximation = 0.069, standardized root mean square residual = 0.012). Convergent validity was confirmed through significant correlations with GDT-English, depression, anxiety, stress, and aggression. Rasch analysis revealed adequate item fit, proper category ordering, and high person separation reliability, indicating robust item-level performance. Due to the absence of validated clinical cut-offs, tertile categorization was employed for descriptive purposes. The upper tertile (approximately 29% of participants) was identified as a relatively high-risk subgroup exhibiting elevated GD symptom scores within this sample, rather than serving as a diagnostic or prevalence-based estimate of GD. Higher GDT scores were significantly associated with greater psychological distress. Conclusions The GDT-Urdu is a psychometrically sound instrument suitable for assessing GD among Urdu-speaking populations. It can serve both clinical and research purposes, especially in Urdu speaking regions such as Pakistan and India.