title: Internet Gaming Disorder Among Slovenian Primary Schoolchildren: Findings From a Nationally Representative Sample of Adolescents.
abstract: Background and aims Since the inclusion of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) in the latest (fifth) edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as a tentative disorder, a few psychometric screening instruments have been developed to assess IGD, including the 9-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale - Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) - a short, valid, and reliable instrument. Methods Due to the lack of research on IGD in Slovenia, this study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the IGDS9-SF in addition to investigating the prevalence rates of IGD in a nationally representative sample of eighth graders from Slovenia (N = 1,071). Results The IGDS9-SF underwent rigorous psychometric scrutiny in terms of validity and reliability. Construct validation was investigated with confirmatory factor analysis to examine the factorial structure of the IGDS9-SF and a unidimensional structure appeared to fit the data well. Concurrent and criterion validation were also investigated by examining the association between IGD and relevant psychosocial and game-related measures, which warranted these forms of validity. In terms of reliability, the Slovenian version IGDS9-SF obtained excellent results regarding its internal consistency at different levels, and the test appears to be a valid and reliable instrument to assess IGD among Slovenian youth. Finally, the prevalence rates of IGD were found to be around 2.5% in the whole sample and 3.1% among gamers. Discussion and conclusion Taken together, these results illustrate the suitability of the IGDS9-SF and warrants further research on IGD in Slovenia.
authors.affiliation: International Gaming Research Unit, Division of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University , Nottingham, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Halley M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Pontes
authors.affiliation: Data Analysis Department, National Institute of Public Health , Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Mirna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Macur
authors.affiliation: International Gaming Research Unit, Division of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University , Nottingham, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Mark D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Griffiths
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D017524:Slovenia / Q000453:epidemiology; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018910:Video Games / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: DSM-5; Internet Gaming Disorder; Internet addiction; Slovenian samples; psychometric validation