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

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

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.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Behavioral Addictions
Volume8
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)288-294
Number of pages7
ISSN2062-5871
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.06.2019
Externally publishedYes

    Research areas

  • Dsm-5 criteria, Internet addiction, Internet gaming disorder
  • Psychology

Documents

DOI

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Manifestation, Collectiveness, Documentation: Thinking About Intervening Arts in Terms of Concept and Practice
  2. Continental mapping of forest ecosystem functions reveals a high but unrealised potential for forest multifunctionality.
  3. "Doing" Sustainability Assessment in Different Consumption and Production Contexts-Lessons from Case Study Comparison
  4. An Unusual Encounter with Oneself
  5. Extending talk on a prescribed discussion topic in a learner-native speaker eTandem learning task
  6. Baseflow recession and recharge as nonlinear storage processes
  7. Frame-based Optimal Design
  8. Plutonium Worlds
  9. Simple relay non-linear PD control for faster and high-precision motion systems with friction
  10. Reconfiguring Desecuritization
  11. Control of a two-thermoelectric-cooler system for ice-clamping application using Lyapunov based approach
  12. Plant traits alone are poor predictors of ecosystem properties and long-term ecosystem functioning
  13. Quantification of amino acids in fermentation media by isocratic HPLC analysis of their
  14. Enhancement of workability in AZ31 alloy - Processing maps
  15. Circular Scanning Resolution Improvement by its Velocity Close Loop Control
  16. Influence of data clouds fusion from 3D real-time vision system on robotic group dead reckoning in unknown terrain
  17. Dimensions of digital transformation in the context of modern agriculture
  18. Junior High School Students’ Length Estimation Skills and Use of Strategies for Making Estimations
  19. Competence-Oriented Teaching
  20. A luenberger observer for a quasi-static disturbance estimation in linear time invariant systems