Validation of a questionnaire on problematic use of smartphones among a rural population of West Bengal

Abstract

While a smartphone can be a hugely productive tool, excessive use of this device can interfere with work, education, our physical and mental health, and productivity. Nowadays, we do not just use our smartphones, but we rely on them. The present study aims to develop and validate an instrument measuring the problematic use of smartphones among adults in a rural area of West Bengal, India. The questionnaire on problematic use of smartphone is a self-designed tool. The items were selected by literature review. The psychometric properties of the questionnaire were assessed by content validity, construct validity, and reliability. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to identify the factors. Forty-two items were generated by literature review. After final analysis, the main questionnaire contained 28 items with 5 domains, namely "impulsive use of phone," "dependence," "impaired control," "denial," "decreased productivity," and "emotional attachment." The Cronbach's alpha value for three domains was found to be >0.7 and >0.8 for the other three domains. Excessive mobile phone use is associated with various adverse consequences which is emerging as a public health problem in a large number of population in India. Problematic use of smartphone questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool to assess the pattern of mobile use among Indian population.