Measuring Problematic Facebook Use among Adolescents and Young Adults with the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale: A Psychometric Analysis by Applying Item Response Theory

Abstract

The Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS) is widely used, but psychometric evidence by applying Item Response Theory (IRT) is lacking. Considering the advantages of this psychometric approach, the aim of study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the BFAS among adolescents and young adults. Participants were 1134 (50% males, Mean age = 20.7, SD = 3.5, range = 14–33 years) Italian high school students and undergraduates. The unidimensionality of the scale was confirmed (χ2/df = 2.8, CFI = 0.99, TLI = 0.98, and RMSEA = 0.04 [C.I. = 0.02–0.06]) and IRT analysis showed that the scale assesses medium and high levels of the trait, and that it is useful in order to discriminate different levels of Problematic Facebook use (PFU) within this range of trait, in which the scale is sufficiently informative. The relationships of BFAS θ scores with theoretically related constructs provided support to the validity of the scale. In accordance with previous studies, BFAS scores were positively correlated with Problematic Internet use and problematic Social Network use, negatively correlated with self-esteem, and positively related to loneliness. The Differential Item Functioning (DIF) analysis showed that BFAS is invariant across gender, and only one item had uniform and small-in-size DIF. Additionally, we tested age invariance. Since only 17% of the BFAS items were non-invariant, we determined that the BFAS exhibited minor non-invariance as a whole. An analysis of the adequacy of the polythetic and monothetic criteria to define the range of the trait indicative of problematic use was also conducted. Overall, this study offers evidence that BFAS is a valuable and useful scale for measuring high levels of PFU among Italian adolescents and young adults.

Boredom and problematic Facebook use in adolescents: What is the relationship considering trait or state boredom?

“…A score of 3 or more in response to four items indicates PFU (Andreassen et al, 2012). This scale resulted to be adequate to measure PFU among Italian youth (Primi et al, 2021) (α = 0.71).…”

The Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale: its psychometric properties and invariance among women with eating disorders

“…[ 30 ]. Suggested cut-off points for diagnosing problematic Facebook use are a total score of 12 or 18 based on liberal and conservative approaches [ 30 , 42 ]. A single change in the BFAS involving the replacement of the word “Facebook” with “SNSs” resulted in a new scale known as the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS).…”

“…Several studies from different countries have examined the construct validity of the BFAS, primarily among adolescents, university students, and emerging adults [ 20 , 24 , 42 – 46 ]. All studies support the one-factor structure, which was originally described by Andreassen [ 30 ].…”

Investigating Adolescents’ Video Gaming and Gambling Activities, and Their Relationship With Behavioral, Emotional, and Social Difficulties: Protocol for a Multi-Informant Study

“…The Loneliness Scale (LS) [ 37 ] consists of 6 statements (rated as “yes,” “more or less,” or “no”) designed to measure emotional, social, and overall loneliness. Cronbach α was .92 [ 38 ].…”