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

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Abstract

Given that there is a lack of instruments assessing internet-related addictions among Chinese population, this study aimed to validate the Chinese version of the nine-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scales- Short Form (IGDS-SF9), Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), and Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS) among Hong Kong university students. Participants aged between 17 and 30 years participated in the present study (n = 307; 32.4% males; mean [SD] age = 21.64 [8.11]). All the participants completed the IGDS-SF9, BSMAS, SABAS, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were used to examine the factorial structures and the unidimensionality for IGDS-SF9, BSMAS, and SABAS. CFAs demonstrated that the three scales were all unidimensional with satisfactory fit indices: comparative fit index = 0.969 to 0.992. In addition, the IGDS-SF9 and BSMAS were slightly modified based on the modification index in CFA. The Chinese IGDS-SF9, BSMAS, and SABAS are valid instruments to assess the addiction levels of internet-related activities for Hong Kong university students.

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Acknowledgements

The study was supported by the Faculty Collaborative Research Scheme between Social Sciences and Health Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 11 Yuk Choi Rd, Hung Hom, Hong Kong

    Chun-Wai Yam, Wai-Yan Yau, Cheuk-Long Matthew Lo, Jennifer M. T. Ng & Chung-Ying Lin

  2. Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Shahid Bahounar BLV, Qazvin, 3419759811, Iran

    Amir H. Pakpour

  3. Department of Nursing, School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden

    Amir H. Pakpour

  4. International Gaming Research Unit, Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK

    Mark D. Griffiths

  5. Department of Applied Social Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong

    Hildie Leung

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  1. Chun-Wai Yam
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Correspondence to Chung-Ying Lin.

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The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Yam, CW., Pakpour, A.H., Griffiths, M.D. et al. Psychometric Testing of Three Chinese Online-Related Addictive Behavior Instruments among Hong Kong University Students. Psychiatr Q 90, 117–128 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-018-9610-7

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