Psychometric property and measurement invariance of internet addiction test: The effect of

Lu et al. BMC Public Health (2022) 22:1548

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13915-1

RESEARCH

Psychometric property and measurement

invariance of internet addiction test: the efect

of socio-demographic and internet use

variables

Xi Lu1*, Kee Jiar Yeo2

, Fang Guo1

, Zhenqing Zhao1 and Ou Wu3*

Abstract

Background: According to the validation literature on items of Young’s Internet Addiction Test (IAT), this study

rephrased disputable items to improve the psychometric properties of this Chinese version of IAT and identify the

presence of diferential item function (DIF) among demographic and Internet use factors; detect the efect of demo￾graphic and Internet use factors on IAT after adjusting for DIF.

Methods: An online questionnaire was distributed to college students in Zhe Jiang province in two stage. The 1st

phase study collected 384 valid responses to examine the quality of IAT items by using Rasch Model analysis and

exploring factor analysis (EFA). The online questionnaire was modifed according to the 1st phase study and distrib￾uted online for the 2nd phase study which collected a total of 1131 valid responses. The 2nd phase study applied

confrmatory factor analysis (CFA) and a multiple indicator multiple causes (MIMIC) model to verify the construct of

IAT, potential efect of covariates on IAT latent factors, as well as the efect of diferential item functioning (DIF).

Results: Rasch model analysis in the 1st phase study indicated a 5-point rating scale was performed better, no sever

misft was found on item. The overall property of Chinese version IAT with the 5-point scale was good to excellent

person and item separation (2.66 and 6.86). A three-factor model was identifed by EFA. In the 2nd phase study, IAT

13 were detected with DIF for gender in MIMIC model. After correcting DIF efect, the signifcant demographic and

Internet use factors on IAT were time spent online per day, year 3, year 2, general users.

Conclusion: Item improvement was efcient that the problematic items found in literature was performed good in

this study. The overall psychometric property of this Chinese version IAT was good with limited DIF efect in one item.

Item improvement on IAT13 was encouraged in the future study to avoid gender bias and beneft for epidemiology

on PIU.

Keywords: Internet addiction test (IAT), Pathological internet use (PIU), College students

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Te development of smartphone and 5G technology

make it easy to access Internet and change people’s life

in China, such as online payment, consumer behaviour.

Internet become an important part of people’s life. Te

47th report from China Internet Network Information

Center [1] indicated that up to December 2020, there

were 989 million Internet users in China who spent

Open Access

*Correspondence: [email protected]; [email protected]

1

Hangzhou Vocational &Technical College, Zhejiang 310018, Hangzhou,

China

3

Shulan International Medical College, Zhejiang Shuren University,

Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China

Full list of author information is available at the end of the article