Social Media Disorder Scale: Structure, Reliability and Validity in Indian Context

Abstract

India is a country that has seen a notable increase in the amount of time its citizens spend on the Internet. One of the primary drivers of internet usage is the widespread adoption of social media platforms. When there is compulsive and unhealthy use of those platforms, it is termed Social Media Disorder (SMD), which has far-reaching implications. However, a valid tool to measure this issue still needs to be created in India. The study aimed to determine the reliability and validity of the Social Media Disorder Scale (SMDS), initially developed in the Netherlands. The developers used the diagnostic criteria of DSM-5 Internet Gaming Disorder since both have the same overarching construct of internet addiction. The nine-dimensional 27-item scale was put through a rigorous validation process while being administered among 552 adolescents in five districts and two states of India. The data collection lasted for three months between March - May, 2024. Construct validity of SMDS was assessed with Exploratory Factor Analysis (first subsample n=280) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (second subsample n=272) using SPSS and AMOS software, respectively. The nine dimensions and 27 items were retained, yielding an internal consistency Cronbach’s alpha of 0.945. This comprehensive validation process has ensured and provided strong evidence that the scale can be utilized in the Indian context to assess SMD.