Psychometric properties of three online-related addictive behavior instruments among Bangladeshi school-going adolescents

BACKGROUND: Due to the ease of access to the internet in modern society users have become more prone to experiencing addictive behaviors online. The present study aimed to develop and investigate the psychometric properties of the Bangla Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short-Form (IGDS9-SF), Gaming Disorder Test (GDT), and Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) due to a lack of existing sound psychometric tools in Bangladesh. METHODS: A cross-sectional paper-and-pencil survey was carried out among 428 school-aged adolescents who were active gamers (90.89% males; Mean(age): 16.13±1.85 years; age range: 10–19 years). Participants were recruited using convenience sampling across four selected schools in Dhaka City, Bangladesh. Data collected included sociodemographic information, frequency of internet use and gaming behaviors, psychological states (i.e., Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9], Generalized Anxiety Disorder [GAD-7]), disordered gaming and social media use (i.e., IGDS9-SF, GDT, and BSMAS). Psychometric testing was conducted to examine the validity and reliability levels of the Bangla IGDS9-SF, GDT, and BSMAS. RESULTS: The newly adapted Bangla IGDS9-SF, GDT, and BSMAS exhibited adequate levels of internal consistency. All total scores were significantly correlated with depression, anxiety, frequencies of internet use/online activities and gaming, supporting criterion and convergent validity. CFA indicated excellent construct validity as all instruments had a good fit to the data. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the Bangla IGDS9-SF, GDT, and BSMAS are sound psychometric instruments due to their satisfactory psychometric properties including internal consistency, criterion validity, convergent validity, and construct validity.