Cross‐national validation of the social media disorder scale: findings from adolescents from 44 countries

Abstract

Background and aims There is currently no cross‐national validation of a scale that measures problematic social media use (SMU). The present study investigated and compared the psychometric properties of the social media disorder (SMD) scale among young adolescents from different countries. Design Validation study. Setting and participants Data came from 222 532 adolescents from 44 countries participating in the health behaviour in school‐aged children (HBSC) survey (2017/2018). The HBSC survey was conducted in the European region and Canada. Participants were on average aged 13.54 years (standard deviation = 1.63) and 51.24% were girls. Measurement Problematic SMU was measured using the nine‐item SMD scale with dichotomous response options. Findings Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) showed good model fit for a one‐factor model across all countries (minimum comparative fit index (CFI) and Tucker–Lewis index (TLI) = 0.963 and 0.951, maximum root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) and standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.057 and 0.060), confirming structural validity. The internal consistency of the items was adequate in all countries (minimum alpha = 0.840), indicating that the scale provides reliable scores. Multi‐group CFA showed that the factor structure was measurement invariant across countries (ΔCFI = −0.010, ΔRMSEA = 0.003), suggesting that adolescents’ level of problematic SMU can be reliably compared cross‐nationally. In all countries, gender and socio‐economic invariance was established, and age invariance was found in 43 of 44 countries. In line with prior research, in almost all countries, problematic SMU related to poorer mental wellbeing (range βSTDY = 0.193–0.924, P < 0.05) and higher intensity of online communication (range βSTDY = 0.163–0.635, P < 0.05), confirming appropriate criterion validity. Conclusions The social media disorder scale appears to be suitable for measuring and comparing problematic social media use among young adolescents across many national contexts.

Generalized and Specific Problematic Internet Use in Central Siberia Adolescents: A School-Based Study of Prevalence, Age–Sex Depending Content Structure, and Comorbidity with Psychosocial Problems

“…Five or more positive answers out of nine points to the presence of PUsocial [26]. A recent cross-national analysis of adolescents' psychometric characteristics in 44 countries showed a high level of validity and reliability for the SMDS [27].…”

Problematic Social Media Use and Intensive Social Media Use Among Academic Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Associations With Social Support and Life Satisfaction

“…Six or more positive answers suggested that the respondent is a problematic user (recorded as 1); others were recorded as 0. This measure has been validated across 44 countries, including Israel, and found to be adequate (Boer et al, 2022).…”

“…All items are rated on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 = never/almost never to 5 = almost all the time throughout the day. In line with previous studies, the respondents' answers were recoded (Boer et al, 2020(Boer et al, , 2022: those who answered "almost all the time throughout the day" on at least one item were classified as 1 = intense user, and the rest were classified as 0 = non-intense users. The measure has been used previously in Israel after a validation process (e.g., Boniel-Nissim et al, 2022).…”

Social Media Disorder, Mental Health, and Validation of the Chinese Version of 27-Item Social Media Disorder Scale in Chinese College Students

“…Hence, the SMD scale appears to be more comprehensive than the existing scales. The 9-item SMD scale has been validated in adolescent groups in China ( 19 ), Turkish ( 20 ), and Netherlands ( 21 ), as well as across 44 countries ( 22 ), suggesting the validity of the SMD-9 scale in measuring problematic usage of social media in adolescents. Furthermore, the 27-item SMD scale, consist of three items for each of the nine DSM-5 criteria, has been found to be more specific and comprehensive in describing social media addiction behavior as compared to SMD-9 scale.…”