The Development of a Short Version of the Internet Addiction Test

The IAT-7

Bibliographic Data

ID15440796
AuthorsGeni Dornelles Valenti (0000-0003-0529-8515, University of Palermo, corresponding author), Giuseppe Craparo (0000-0001-5748-0592, Università degli Studi di Enna Kore), Palmira Faraci (0000-0002-7377-8011, Università degli Studi di Enna Kore)
Year2023
Volume23
Issue2
Pages1028-1053
Publication date2023-09-28
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Mental Health and Addiction (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1557-1874 • E-ISSN: 1557-1882
PublisherSpringer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1007/s11469-023-01153-4
OpenAlexW4387132080
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited72

Using a valid and reliable scale to measure problems associated with excessive internet use is a key element of research on internet addiction (IA). The main goal of the current study was to develop a brief version of the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), the most widely used measure for assessing IA. In Study 1 ( N = 463), we combined strict analytic techniques for item reduction with an evaluation of item content, and we compared several CFA and ESEM Models. In Study 2 ( N = 374), we applied a Latent Variable Model (LMV) to examine the associations between our proposed short scale and some related variables. Our findings suggested a 7-item version (named IAT-7), with an ESEM structure and two domain-specific factors (F1: Interpersonal, Emotional and Obsessive Conflict; F2: Online Time Management). The IAT-7 showed excellent fit-indices [χ 2 = 13.373; df = 8; CFI = .994; TLI = .983; RMSEA = .030 (.000–.073); SRMR = .016; AIC = 9,276.944; BIC = 9,388.662; aBIC = 9,302.971] and an adequate level of internal consistency (alpha and omega > .752). Interpersonal, Emotional and Obsessive Conflict mainly predicted loneliness and depression, whereas Online Time Management was primarily associated with stress, followed by depression. The IAT-7 shows promising psychometric properties and could be used as a screening tool for evaluating IA. Its small number of items makes it more attractive when a large battery of assessment scales is used

Addiction · Addictive behavior · Craving · Interpersonal communication · Item response theory · Moderation · Polytomous Rasch model · Psychiatry · Psychometrics · Scale (ratio · Statistics · Structural equation modeling · The Internet · World Wide Web · Clinical Psychology · Computer Science · Digital Mental Health Interventions · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Psychology · Social Psychology

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