Abstract
As the use of digital technology has increased, abuse and addiction to technology have been identified among a minority of users. In the mid-1990s, the concept of internet addiction was first used. Today, almost every digital technology use has been claimed to have a minority of disordered users. One key aspect of addictive substance behaviors is craving. Craving is also an important component of behavioral addictions including digital technology disorders such as Internet Gaming Disorder. The aim of the present study was to develop the Turkish version of the Craving for Internet Gaming Scale (CIGS) via an adaptation of the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS). The present study comprised 368 adolescents from four different samples. The measures used included the Craving for Internet Gaming Scale, Digital Game Addiction Scale, and Brief Self-Control Scale. The structural validity of CIGS was investigated with Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and criterion validity. The reliability of CIGS was evaluated using Cronbach α internal consistency reliability coefficient and corrected item total correlation coefficients. As a result of EFA, it was found that the five-item CIGS had a single-factor structure. The unidimensional CIGS obtained as a result of EFA was tested with CFA. As a result of CFA, the unidimensional structure of CIGS was confirmed in two different samples. Criterion validity of CIGS was assessed via digital gaming addiction, self-discipline, impulsiveness, daily internet gaming duration, and internet gaming history. As a result of criterion analysis, CIGS was associated with these variables in the expected direction. Finally, according to reliability analysis, the CIGS was found to be a reliable scale. When validity and reliability analysis of the CIGS are considered as a whole, it is concluded that the CIGS is a valid and reliable scale that assesses craving for internet gaming.
Highlights
As the use of digital technology has increased, abuse and addiction to technology have been identified among a minority of users
When validity and reliability analysis of the Craving for Internet Gaming Scale (CIGS) are considered as a whole, it is concluded that the CIGS is a valid and reliable scale that assesses craving for internet gaming
The reliability of CIGS was evaluated with Cronbach α internal consistency reliability coefficient and corrected item total correlation coefficients
Summary
As the use of digital technology has increased, abuse and addiction to technology have been identified among a minority of users. Craving is an important component of behavioral addictions including digital technology disorders such as Internet Gaming Disorder. The latest (fifth) edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM5) describes craving as “a strong desire/urge” to use a substance (American Psychiatric Association [APA] 2013). The concept of craving has traditionally been conceptualized for alcohol and substance addiction as described in both the DSM-5 and ICD-10 (APA 2013; WHO 1993). According to scholars (e.g., Grant et al 2010; Griffiths 1996a), behavioral addictions can be similar to substance addictions in many ways including natural history, phenomenology, tolerance, comorbidity, overlapping genetic contribution, neurobiological mechanisms, and response to treatment. Withdrawal symptoms when internet gaming is taken away. (These symptoms are typically described as irritability, anxiety, or sadness, but there are no physical signs of pharmacological withdrawal.)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
