Psychometric properties of the Chinese Internet Gaming Disorder Scale

Abstract

To develop a consensus on the definition and measurement of Internet gaming disorder (IGD), several recent studies have used the DSM-5's proposed criteria for IGD as the basis in scale construction. This study contributes to this emerging consensus by developing and validating a new Chinese Internet Gaming Disorder Scale (C-IGDS) based on the DSM-5 criteria. A representative sample of Hong Kong community adults (n=502, 50% men, mean age=37.1, age range=18-60) was recruited for a telephone survey with random digit dialing. Various statistical techniques were used to assess the psychometric properties of the C-IGDS. The C-IGDS had good reliability (Cronbach's α=0.91) and structural validity (CFA model fit: RMSEA=0.027, CFI=0.991, TLI=0.988) in our sample. Moderate to moderately strong correlations with depressive symptoms (r=0.617, p<0.001), social anxiety symptoms (r=0.366, p<0.001), and gaming hours (r=0.412, p<0.001) supported the criterion validity of the C-IGDS. In addition, the C-IGDS exhibited strict measurement invariance for sex and at least strong measurement invariance for age. In addition to providing the first Chinese scale for measuring IGD based on the DSM-5's proposed criteria, this study provides empirical support for the validity of these diagnostic criteria as the basis for a universal measure of IGD. Most important, this study is the first to reveal the criteria's measurement invariance, thereby indicating their suitability for use with diverse demographic groups.

Psychometric Testing of Three Chinese Online-Related Addictive Behavior Instruments among Hong Kong University Students

“…Although the internal consistency between findings in the present study and others are comparable [15][16][17][18], the present study revealed relatively high floor effects (21%) as compared with previous studies [11,17]. More specifically, another study using a Hong Kong population using C-IGDS showed the floor effect at 0.8%; one study on Iranian population using IGDS-SF9 also showed the floor effect at 0.8% [17].…”

“…Therefore, the validation of an ultrabrief instrument (with less than 10 items) will greatly reduce the administrative burden and the time cost of conducting such assessment. A brief instrument (i.e., the Chinese Internet Gaming Disorder Scale; C-IGDS) was recently developed in Hong Kong [11]. The C-IGDS showed promising psychometric properties.…”

“…The C-IGDS showed promising psychometric properties. However, Sigerson et al [11] did not focus on emerging and young adults (18-30 years old), who are the most frequent internet users [2].…”

“…Furthermore, Sigerson et al [11] did not explore the relationship between IGDS-SF9 and other related IA-related behaviors (e.g., social media addiction, smartphone application addiction).…”

Prevalence and Interpersonal Correlates of Internet Gaming Disorders among Chinese Adolescents

“…A score of 5 is taken as the cutoff point for defining IGD. The Chinese version was found to have good psychometric properties [33,34]. It has been applied in a number of studies [33][34][35].…”