The Development of the Digital Addiction Scale for the University Students: Reliability and Validity Study

Abstract

This study was carried out to develop a scale for determining the level of digital addiction of the youth. In this study carried out with a group of 687 students from Siirt, Dicle and Erzincan Universities, a draft scale of 28 items based on the interviews with two students who spent a long time with digital tools and their friends, and on the expert opinions was prepared. The validity of the Digital Addiction Scale (DAS) was determined by descriptive, confirmatory factor analysis, and criterion reliability. Item analysis based on the average of points of 27% lower-upper groups and item-total correlation was conducted. Reliability was determined by Cronbach's alpha and test-retest methods. The result of the factor analysis showed that the DAS explains the 59.51% of the total variance and has a structure consisting of five sub-dimensions called Overuse, Non-restraint, Inhibiting the Flow of Life, Emotional State, and Dependence. The confirmatory factor analysis showed that the DAS has good adaptive values. The scales applied concurrently with the DAS within the scope of criterion validity were also found to be in a significant and positive relation to the DAS. The item-total score correlation coefficients were found between .373 and 620. The t- values of item mean scores of 27% lower-upper groups were found to be significant. Cronbach's Alpha was calculated 0.874. The test-retest reliability made in a three-week interval was calculated r=.779 (p<.001). According to the findings of the study, it is possible to say that the DAS is a valid and reliable measurement tool that can be used to measure the digital addiction of the university students.