Validation of a translated internet gaming disorder scale (short form) and measurement invariance across sex groups in Malaysian samples

Abstract

Excessive online gaming has emerged as a highly pervasive public health issue. Currently, there are no instruments available to assess the symptoms of Internet gaming behaviours in Malaysian context. This study aims to validate Bahasa Malaysia version of Internet Gaming Disorder Scale – Short Form (9 items) which was previously developed by Pontes and Griffiths (Computers in Human Behavior, 45, 137–143, 2015). An online survey was conducted among 1175 gamers, consisting of youth aged between 18 and 29 years old. The single-factor scale showed good content validity, concurrent validity, discriminant validity, and reliability. Floor and ceiling effects were not present in the measured data. The scale also depicts good configural, metric, and scalar invariances across sex groups. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that the translated scale is psychometrically sound for the assessment of Internet gaming disorders among youth in a Malaysian context.