Problematic Internet Use in adolescents: New psychometric evidence for the Spanish short form of the Compulsive Internet Use Scale

Abstract

Objectives: Problematic Internet Use (PIU) has become a worldwide problem in recent years. Among screening instruments for PIU, the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) is perhaps the most widely used. Psychometric properties of the full CIUS are not convincing, however, and the short form (CIUS-S) has shown promising results, albeit limited to the English version, with little evidence in Spanish. Therefore, the aim of the present work was to study the psychometric properties of the CIUS-S scores in a large sample of Spanish adolescents. Method: The sample consisted of 1790 participants, 816 male (45.6%), 961 female (53.7%), and 13 other (0.7%). Mean age was 15.70 years (SD = 1.26). Results: The five-items one-dimensional model displayed appropriate goodness-of-fit indices. Strong measurement invariance model across age and partial across gender was found. Furthermore, the CIUS-S was positively associated with several indicators of poor well-being and mental health, and negatively associated with prosocial behavior, self-esteem, and feeling of belonging. Conclusion: Overall, the CIUS-S scores appear reliable and valid in its Spanish version for adolescent populations, supporting its aim to detect and prevent a problem that has become a major worldwide issue in the last years.