Assessing the Psychometric Properties of the Internet Addiction Test in Peruvian University Students.

Arnold Alejandro Tafur-Mendoza,Rodrigo Arturo Zárate-Torres,Julio César Acosta-Prado,Duván Emilio Ramírez-Ospina

doi:10.3390/ijerph17165782

Abstract

The use of the Internet has been gradually and unstoppably gaining ground in all areas of life, from recreational activities to how social relations are established. However, the existence of clinical cases indicates that the addictive use of the Internet is a problem that seriously affects some people. Among the instruments that measure this construct, the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) stands out. However, instrumental studies of this test are scarce in Latin America. The present study sought to analyze the psychometric properties of the IAT in a sample of 227 Peruvian undergraduate university students. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to provide validity evidence based on the internal structure, and evidence based on the relationship with other variables was also provided. Reliability was estimated through the ordinal alpha coefficient. The results indicated that the IAT adequately fits a bifactor model (with two specific factors, time/control and stress/compensate), obtaining good levels of reliability. Additionally, the IAT scores correlate significantly with the average number of hours per day on the internet and social skills. The results lead to the conclusion that the scores in the IAT have evidence of validity and reliability for its use.

Highlights

In the framework of a society in which both communication and the free flow of information are closely related to the development of the network, it is necessary to know to what extent reality and the virtual sphere intermingle
As studies in Sweden [2] and Spain [3] seem to indicate, the fierce proliferation of the network as a means of communication has brought negative consequences that have a stronger impact on the young population, having identified a series of problems among which stand out the addiction to this environment and that affect above all the social sphere of the individual
The findings indicate that the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), in the sample of Peruvian university students, is made up of a general factor and two specific factors, or a bifactor model

Summary

Introduction

In the framework of a society in which both communication and the free flow of information are closely related to the development of the network, it is necessary to know to what extent reality and the virtual sphere intermingle. As studies in Sweden [2] and Spain [3] seem to indicate, the fierce proliferation of the network as a means of communication has brought negative consequences (cyberbullying, problematic Internet use, sexting, nomophobia, etc.) that have a stronger impact on the young population, having identified a series of problems among which stand out the addiction to this environment and that affect above all the social sphere of the individual. The use or abuse of the Internet arises from disciplines, such as psychology or psychiatry [6]. In this sense, it is not surprising that the term Internet addiction was used for the first time by the psychiatrist Ivan Golberg in 1995 [7].

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Conclusion