Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Internet Gaming Disorder Checklist (C-IGDC) Among Chinese Adolescents.

Juliet Honglei Chen,Anise M S Wu,Le Dang,Xiaoyu Su

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.721397

Juliet Honglei Chen, Anise M S Wu + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.721397

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Abstract

As the first DSM-5 based, multidimensional screening tool of Internet gaming disorder (IGD) designed for Chinese gamers, the Chinese Internet Gaming Disorder Checklist (C-IGDC) has shown satisfactory psychometric properties among Chinese young adults. Given the high vulnerability to IGD among adolescents, the present study aimed to examine the applicability of C-IGDC to Chinese adolescents to address shortfalls in the existing literature regarding the assessment of adolescent IGD screening. Through a two-stage sampling method in a cross-sectional survey, we obtained a sample of 1,253 Chinese past-year adolescent gamers (43.8% female; Mage = 14.49 years, SDage = 1.60 years) from local junior or senior high schools in Macao, China for data analysis. Our results confirmed a good model fit of the original two-level, nine-subfactor structure of the 27-item C-IGDC, and indicated adequate internal consistency and test–retest reliability, as well as good concurrent validity as evidenced by expected associations with IGD functioning impairments, gameplay characteristics, and depressive symptoms. An optimal screening cutoff score (≥20) was proposed to identify probable disordered gamers among Chinese adolescents with past-year gaming experience. The findings support the extended use of C-IGDC to Chinese adolescents as a reliable and valid assessment tool for evaluating IGD severity levels and screening for probable IGD cases. Its use can facilitate a proper screening procedure for probable IGD cases in both school and clinical settings.

Highlights

Disordered Internet gaming is a widespread public health condition with grave danger to adolescents’ wellbeing and development [for a review, see [1]]
This study showed that Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) symptoms were not uncommon among Chinese adolescents and provided empirical support to apply the 27-item Chinese Internet Gaming Disorder Checklist (C-IGDC) to this population for measuring IGD severity and screening for probable IGD cases
High factor loadings were found across all nine first-order subconstructs on the second-order C-IGDC construct, lending extra support to the good fit between the data and the proposed model structure

Summary

Introduction

Disordered Internet gaming is a widespread public health condition with grave danger to adolescents’ wellbeing and development [for a review, see [1]]. A historically high prevalence of disordered gamers in Asian adolescents with the age of 12–20 years laid the foundation of the recognition of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) or Gaming Disorder (GD) as a mental/behavioral disorder in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) [2] and the International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision (ICD-11) [3]. Aside from sampling issues (e.g., convenient sampling vs random sampling), another primary source attributed to such significant discrepancies in IGD prevalence is measurement issues, which include but are not limited to conceptual inconsistencies in diagnostic criteria of IGD (e.g., adapted from other addictive behaviors like Internet addiction and problematic gambling) and a lack of or insufficient psychometric evaluation of the IGD assessment tool in the corresponding population [for reviews, see [10, 11]]

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