Development of a Brief Multicultural Version of the Test of Mobile Phone Dependence (TMDbrief) Questionnaire

Abstract

The Test of Mobile Phone Dependence (TMD) questionnaire (Chóliz, 2012) evaluates the main features of mobile phone dependence: tolerance, abstinence syndrome, impaired impulse control, associated problems, excessive use, etc.Objective: The objective of this study was to develop a multicultural version of the TMD (TMDbrief) adapted to suit the novel communication tools of smartphones.Procedure: In this study, the TMD was completed by 2,028 young respondents in six distinct world regions: Southern Europe, Northwest Europe, South-America, Mesoamerica, Pakistan, and India.Results: Psychometric analysis of the reliability of the instrument and factor analysis were performed to adapt the TMDbrief for use in these regions. Differences among regions with respect to TMD Mobile Phone Dependence scores were obtained.Conclusion: A brief questionnaire for the evaluation of mobile phone addiction in cross-cultural studies was successfully developed.

Determining Symptomatic Factors of Nomophobia in Peruvian Students from the National University of Engineering

“…After that, in [42], they found the following factors: anxiety and depression. Finally, in [30], they found the following factors: abstinence, abuse and interference with other activities, tolerance, and lack of control. This indicates that characteristic personality problems are common, regardless of the studies that are carried out and the region of the world where it occurs, because they are characteristic of human addiction.…”

“…The test used was carefully adapted and translated from the Test of Mobile Phone Dependence (TMDbrief) [30] on the basis of previous recommendations and previous study experience [2]. Because of the multicultural approach of TMDbrief, it was not necessary to validate the translation.…”

“…Currently, there is a wide variety of tools to identify dependency problems that are associated with smartphone use and the use of other information and communication technologies. However, in our study, we used the "Test of Mobile Phone Dependence (TMDbrief) Questionnaire" [30] as a main reference, which evaluates the main characteristics of cell phone dependence: tolerance, withdrawal syndrome, change of impulse control, excessive use, etc., using an intercultural approach. In our study, the test was improved through the methodology of focus group.…”

Nomophobia - mobile phone dependence, a study among students of a rural medical college

“…level of satisfaction, as well as the need to substitute operative devices with new models that appear on the market; (e) abstinence symptoms, i.e., an urgent need to use a mobile phone after some time has elapsed since its last use, as well as emotional alterations when its use is impeded or made difficult; (f) lack of control, i.e., inability to stop the addictive behavior. 3 Despite the many interesting and useful functions that the mobile phone fulfills in modern society, maladaptive use of mobile phones has been identified, and has been linked with psychological dysfunction, health problems and even psychiatric disorders. 3 Nomophobia literally means 'no mobile phobia" that is the fear of being out of mobile phone contact.…”

Comportamiento epidemiológico de la dependencia del teléfono móvil: una perspectiva criminológica

“…In a recent study, its reliability and internal consistency were analyzed in a sample of 1126 individuals aged 16-65 years, allowing the establishment of four categories of mobile phone use: casual use, regular use, people at risk, and problematic use, with predictive factors such as age, sex, educational level, and time of daily use [19]. This test has also been used in a population of 902 university students in Turkey [20], 1132 students aged 12-18 in Spain, and several countries in Latin America [21], in 412 Swiss teenagers [22], in 1529 adolescents aged 11-18 years in England using the Spanish version [23], in 468 university students in China [24] in 456 adolescents from several European countries, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.85 and Kendall's Tau of 0.80 [25] and a multinational population of patients from southern Europe, South America, Mesoamerica, India and Pakistan, without finding differences between regions in terms of the psychometric analysis of the reliability of this test [26]. Finally, MMPUS was also used in a sample of 100 university students in Wyoming, United States; a relationship between the high leves of nomophobia and family history of alcoholism was found, which is a fact that has not yet been studied [27].…”