Performance of the DSM-5-based criteria for Internet addiction: A factor analytical examination of three samples

Abstract

Background and aims: The diagnosis "Internet Gaming Disorder" (IGD) has been included in the fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. However, the nine criteria have not been sufficiently reviewed for their diagnostic value. This study focuses on a broader approach of Internet addiction (IA) including other Internet activities. It is not yet clear what the construct of IA is in terms of dimensionality and homogeneity and how the individual criteria contribute to explained variance. Methods: Three separate exploratory factor analyses and multinomial logistic regression analyses were carried out based on information collected from a general populationbased sample (n = 196), a sample of people recruited at job centers (n = 138), and a student sample (n = 188). Results: Both of the adult samples show a distinct single-factor solution. The analysis of the student sample suggests a two-factor solution. Only one item (criterion 8: escape from a negative mood) can be assigned to the second factor. Altogether, high endorsement rates of the eighth criterion in all three samples indicate low discriminatory power. Discussion and conclusions: Overall, the analysis shows that the construct of IA is represented one dimensionally by the diagnostic criteria of the IGD. However, the student sample indicates evidence of age-specific performance of the criteria. The criterion "Escape from a negative mood" might be insufficient in discriminating between problematic and non-problematic Internet use. The findings deserve further examination, in particular with respect to the performance of the criteria in different age groups as well as in non-preselected samples.

Validity and Psychometric Properties of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale in Three Large Independent Samples of Children and Adolescents

“…As reported in the introduction, the criterion escape was considered by experts to have little diagnostic value [26]. The literature finding of Besser et al [29] that the 'escape'-item made up a factor of its own when investigating adolescents-as opposed to adult samples-was supported in all three samples of the current study. The authors commented: "Considering the young age of the participants ( .…”

“…. ), the use of the internet for mood modification might be an agesensitive effect that should be considered in further studies (p. 292)" [29]. For reasons of comparability, the original IGDS items should be retained for research purposes but we suggest to reword the item for the DSM-5 criterion escape in future IGD measures.…”

“…In a recent Delphi study, 29 international experts with clinical and/or research experience on IGD rated the DSM-5 criteria 'escape' and 'tolerance' as inadequate to distinguish between problematic and normal gaming [27]. According to the results of a factorial analysis on data based on the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) [28], the item on the criterion 'escape' (IGDS item 8) had no association to the other items in a student sample compared to two adult samples [29].…”

Development and validation of a nine-item short screening test for ICD-11 gaming disorder (GAMES test) and estimation of the prevalence in the general young population

“…The candidate questions for the screening test were prepared from the following sources: 1) Ten questions adapted for gaming on the basis of the questions related to 3 clinical manifestation criteria of GD, selected from the Internet Related Disorder-Clinical Assessment Tool (I-CAT) (Brandt et al, 2018;Besser, Loerbroks, Bischof, Bischof, & Rumpf, 2019); 2) six original questions related to the GD criteria, prepared utilizing the day-to-day clinical experience of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists in charge of GD treatment at the Center; 3) ten questions constituting the Japanese version of the IGDT-10 (Kir aly et al, 2017); 4) three questions for the evaluation of functional impairment, designed to assess the influence of GD on social activities using the modified 11-grade visual analog scale (VAS) of Sheehan (Sheehan, Harnett-Sheehan, & Raj, 1996;Hodgins, 2013); and 5) fifteen independent candidate questions for the evaluation of functional impairment derived from clinical observation of GD patients at the Center.…”

Verhaltenssüchte in der ICD-11

“…Der Ansatz in der ICD-11 verzichtet auf einige der kritisierten bzw. empirisch schwachen Kriterien, die im DSM-5 für die Internet Gaming Disorder vorgeschlagenen wurden [6,24]. Stattdessen erfordert der Ansatz der ICD-11, dass eine dysfunktionale Beeinträchtigung vorliegen muss.…”