Examining the Psychometric Properties of the Greek Version of the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) In University Students.

Evgenia S and Remos A

Published on: 2023-08-21

Abstract

Aims

Following the markedly growing internet use worldwide, there are similarly increasing concerns over the excessive internet misuse in the last 20 years. Internet addiction is described as the pathological or problematic use of the internet and is a pattern of excessive / forced use of the internet that causes distress and / or deficiencies. To study this phenomenon, a variety of psychometric tools have been developed to assess internet addiction. This study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Internet Addiction Test as developed by developed by [1] and adapted to Greek population.

Methods

The Greek version of the Internet Addiction Test was administered to 144 university students. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were carried out and the psychometric properties of the instrument were investigated in terms of its face validity content validity, construct validity, convergent validity and internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha. Correlations examining the associations between the demographic characteristics and the hours spent on the internet with the results of IAT were also checked.

Results

Exploratory Factor Analysis showed that 44% of the total variance was accounted for by one factor and the obtained factor structure was verified through Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The IAT score had moderate convergent validity with the total score of the DASS21 (r = .548, p < .01) and with its subscales (depression; r = 0.55, anxiety; r = 0.44, stress; r = 0.55). The IAT had high construct validity with the OCS, both its subscales (loneliness/depression; r = 0.71, diminished impulse control; r = 0.85, social comfort; r = 0.70, distraction; r = 0.78) and the total score (r = 0.86). The IAT demonstrated also good face validity. The internal consistency of the scale was excellent (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92). Nevertheless, the present findings also suggest that some items of the IAT need to be further reviewed and improved.

Conclusions

The present study confirms the validity and reliability of IAT in the Greek university students. Also, it contributes to a better understanding of the aspects of internet addiction, as many health professionals begin to realize that excessive internet use may have considered as a significant risk to some people.

Keywords

Internet Addiction; Internet Addiction Test (IAT); Psychometric Properties; Validation; University Students

Introduction

During the last decade, the rapid development of technology has led to the creation of a multitude of electronic devices that give access to the internet at any time. This fact, in turn, led to the rise of the phenomenon called internet addiction. According to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- Fifth edition (DSM-V), internet addiction is described as the pathological or problematic use of the Internet and is a pattern of excessive/compulsive use of the Internet that causes distress and/or deficits, but it specifies only in gabling disorder [1]. Also, DSM-V has a separate category for internet gaming disorder at its third section, but is mentioned as “condition for further study” [2]. In general, it has been argued that there are several different types of Internet addiction, including Internet gaming, sexual involvement, and excessive use of e-mail [3].

Studies from different cultures have reported that the prevalence of internet addiction ranges from 7.02% to 44.6% [4-6]. However, since the definitions for the phenomenon of internet addiction vary significantly, differences are observed in terms of its prevalence [7]. According to Internet World Stats, it appears that globally the largest use of the internet is observed in Asia, followed by Europe, Africa, and the United States of America. As far as Europe is concerned, it appears that Russia has the most internet usage (16%), followed by Germany, Turkey, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy with more than 50 million inhabitants using the internet [8].

Internet addiction has been associated with a multitude of health problems [9]. On the one hand, previous research indicated physical problems, such as poor sleep, fatigue, unhealthy eating habits and lack of physical activity [10, 11]. In addition, low school and academic performance is observed due to the excessive time these individuals spend on the internet [12,13]. At the same time, regarding mental health, it seems that internet addiction has been related to depressive symptoms and anxiety [14,15]. Also, previous research evidence emphases in the comorbidity of internet addiction with other mental disorders such as depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders and attention deficit/impulsivity disorders [16,17].

Today there are some main categories of internet addiction, to which new ones are constantly being added, depending on what emerges. The main categories are the Online Gambling, the Internet Gaming, the Problematic Online Pornography Use, and the Social Media & Smartphones addiction [18].

To investigate this phenomenon, a variety of psychometric tools have been developed to assess internet addiction [e.g., 1,19-21]. This fact raises important concerns regarding the research evidence, their quality, and the possibility of comparing their results. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Internet Addiction Test developed by [1] and adapted to Greek population.