Measuring DSM-5 internet gaming disorder: Development and validation of a short psychometric scale
Introduction
In Section 3 of the latest (fifth) edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM-5], the American Psychiatric Association [APA] included Internet Gaming Disorder [IGD] as a condition worthy of future study (APA, 2013). The inclusion of IGD followed the (i) increasing amount of research published over the last decade and (ii) debates surrounding the legitimacy of IGD as an independent clinical disorder. As suggested by the APA (2013), the clinical diagnosis of IGD comprises a behavioural pattern encompassing persistent and recurrent use of the internet to engage in online games, leading to significant impairment or distress over a period of 12 months as indicated by endorsing five (or more) of nine criteria. More specifically, the nine proposed criteria for IGD include: (1) preoccupation with internet games; (2) withdrawal symptoms when internet gaming is taken away; (3) tolerance, resulting in the need to spend increasing amounts of time engaged in internet games; (4) unsuccessful attempts to control participation in internet games; (5) loss of interest in previous hobbies and entertainment as a result of, and with the exception of, internet games; (6) continued excessive use of internet games despite knowledge of psychosocial problems; (7) deceiving family members, therapists, or others regarding the amount of internet gaming; (8) use of internet games to escape or relieve negative moods; and (9) jeopardising or losing a significant relationship, job, or education or career opportunity because of participation in internet games. Moreover, IGD may lead to school/college failure, job loss, or marriage failure as the problematic gaming behaviour tends to displace usual and expected social, work and/or educational, relationship, and family activities (APA, 2013).
Research into the psychosocial effects of video games has increased with many studies being published (Kardefelt-Winther, 2014a, Kardefelt-Winther, 2014b, Kowert et al., 2014, Kuss et al., 2013, Kuss et al., 2013, Lopez-Fernandez et al., 2014, Lopez-Fernandez et al., 2014, Odrowska and Massar, 2014, Snodgrass et al., 2014). More recently, several scholars (e.g., Griffiths et al., 2014, King et al., 2013, Petry and O’Brien, 2013, Petry et al., 2014) have noted the need for developing a new psychometric tool for IGD capable of integrating the new aspects of the concept. Research on gaming behaviour has increased greatly over the last few years (Griffiths et al., 2012, Kuss and Griffiths, 2012). However, it is argued that the field has been hindered by the use inconsistent non-standardised criteria to assess gaming addiction (Griffiths et al., 2012). Traditionally, researchers have adopted a broad range of nomenclatures (e.g., problematic gaming, video game addiction, online gaming addiction, compulsive internet use) to address the same phenomenon (Demetrovics et al., 2012, Gentile, 2009, Griffiths, 1993, Griffiths and Hunt, 1998, Rehbein et al., 2010, Young, 1998). This has resulted in a lack of a widely accepted definition and difficulty in unifying the field. Therefore, the use of a nomenclature that researchers can agree upon (e.g., IGD) and standardised psychometric tool rooted in the IGD concept, may represent an important step in providing a consensual view of the phenomenon from a scientific standpoint, and help unify different approaches into a singular one amongst researchers (Griffiths et al., 2014).
In light of this, the aim of the present study is twofold. Firstly, the main goal is to examine whether the nine adapted IGD criteria from the DSM-5 (APA, 2013) can serve as a basis for developing a new standardised psychometric tool for measuring IGD (namely the nine-item short-form Internet Gaming Disorder Scale [IGDS-SF9]. Secondly, to explore its psychometric properties in-depth in order to ascertain if it can be a valid and reliable tool for assessing IGD in accordance with the nine criteria from the DSM-5 (APA, 2013).
Section snippets
Participants and procedures
A total sample comprising 1397 English-speaking gamers from 58 different countries were recruited to take part in the study by clicking the survey link provided in 52 English-speaking online gaming forums. To advertise the survey link, authorisation from the gaming forum’s moderators was sought prior the creation of a thread containing the survey link and specifying its nature on each forum. Every thread was individually checked for a period of 1 month on a daily basis. All important queries
Descriptive statistics
Table 1 summarises all relevant socio-demographic information collected in the current sample. Results of the analysis showed that half of the sample were in a relationship (45.7%, n = 484). Additionally, most gamers reported they first played video games at a very early age, that is, before the age of 6 years (45.8%, n = 485) and between the age of 7 and 12 years (44.3%, n = 470). Almost one-third of the total sample (26.7%, n = 283) reported playing games for more than 30 h per week. In addition, only a
Discussion and conclusion
The purpose of this study was to develop a brief screening tool to assess gaming addiction based on the latest diagnostic DSM-5 criteria for IGD (APA, 2013). To achieve this goal, two steps were taken. Firstly, a short psychometric tool comprising nine items based on the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria of IGD was developed by experts in the field. Secondly, the newly developed tool was subject to in-depth psychometric examination in order to ascertain whether it reflected the concept of IGD. The
Funding source
None.
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to all the gamers that participated in this study, especially to those who spent their valuable time filling out our surveys and to the forum moderators who helped us in the data collection process.
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