Arabic validation of the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS)

Yasser Khazaal,Daniele Zullino,Riaz Khan,Joël Billieux,Khodor Atwi,Anne Chatton

doi:10.1186/1747-597x-6-32

Abstract

BackgroundThe popularity of using the Internet and related applications has grown in Arabic countries in recent years. Despite numerous advantages in terms of optimizing communications among individuals and social systems, the use of the Internet may in certain cases become problematic and engender negative consequences in daily life. As no instrument in the Arabic language is available, however, to measure excessive Internet use, the goal of the current study was to validate an Arabic version of the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS).MethodsThe Arabic version of the CIUS was administered to a sample of 185 Internet users and exploratory and confirmatory analyses performed.ResultsAs found previously for the original version, a one-factor model of the CIUS had good psychometric properties and fit the data well. The total score on the CIUS was positively associated with time spent online.ConclusionThe Arabic version of the CIUS seems to be a valid self-report to measure problematic Internet use.

Highlights

The popularity of using the Internet and related applications has grown in Arabic countries in recent years
The prevalence of Internet use has increased worldwide during the last decade. This provides wonderful opportunities for communication, exchange, and social interactions, it has been accompanied by the development, in some individuals, of an excessive and noncontrollable pattern of use, leading to the emergence of the concept of Internet addiction [1,2,3,4]
The phenomenon has been associated with several psychiatric disorders and symptoms [9], such as depression and social phobia [10], impulsivity [11,12], and substance misuse [13]

Summary

Introduction

The popularity of using the Internet and related applications has grown in Arabic countries in recent years. Despite numerous advantages in terms of optimizing communications among individuals and social systems, the use of the Internet may in certain cases become problematic and engender negative consequences in daily life. The prevalence of Internet use has increased worldwide during the last decade. This provides wonderful opportunities for communication, exchange, and social interactions, it has been accompanied by the development, in some individuals, of an excessive and noncontrollable pattern of use (i.e., problems related to Internet use, difficulty stopping, continuing use despite the intention to stop), leading to the emergence of the concept of Internet addiction [1,2,3,4].

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Methods

Results

Conclusion