Psychometric properties of the European Portuguese Internet Gaming Disorder Test
Gaming is one of the most prevalent leisure activities in the world. Despite its positive impact on cognitive abilities and therapeutic utility, excessive gaming can lead to problematic habits among vulnerable individuals, potentially resulting in adverse consequences for both mental and physical well-being.
This study sought to validate the Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGD-20; Pontes et al., 2014), an instrument for the assessment of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), in Portugal. It also investigated correlations between Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) levels and several variables. The participant pool consisted of 556 individuals, predominantly male (61.7%), with an average age of 23.3 years (SD = 6.4).
The methodology encompassed an online protocol that addressed sociodemographic questions, symptoms of anxiety and depression, gaming frequency, number of friends (NF), social gathering frequency (SGF), weekly hours of physical exercise (PE), IGD, and Gaming Disorder (GD). Internal consistencies were calculated, and Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) were computed using both the original model and a shorter version, the Internet Gaming Disorder-10 Short Version (IGD-10SV), with three-factors (Faraci et al., 2023).
The results of the CFAs supported the three-factor model, suggesting that the short version, IGD-10SV, may be more suitable. This version exhibited moderate internal consistency, good convergent and criterion validity, and good test-retest reliability, within a subsample of 379 participants (Mage = 23.5, SD = 6.4; 61.2% men), who finished the protocol. Furthermore, negative correlations emerged between IGD-10SV scores and the number of friends and social gathering frequency, though no correlation was detected with physical exercise.
Despite the overall good psychometric properties of the IGD-10SV, the study emphasized the ambiguity in its factorial structure, highlighting the need for further investigation. This suggests that researchers should thoroughly scrutinize the instrument's underlying structure to ensure its validity and reliability in assessing Internet Gaming Disorder.
