Greek version of the Internet Addiction Test: a validation study

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Medical Informatics
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Internet addiction is a growing global concern.
• Validated assessment tools are crucial for research and clinical practice.
• Existing tools require cultural adaptation for diverse populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To translate and culturally adapt the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) for Greek adults.
• To validate the psychometric properties of the Greek version of the IAT.
• To establish the IAT as a reliable measure for internet addiction in Greece.

Main Methods:

• Translation and cultural adaptation involving 21 medical students.
• Validation study with 151 medical students (post- and undergraduate).
• Psychometric evaluation including internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), test-retest reliability, face validity, convergent validity, and exploratory factor analysis.

Main Results:

• High internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.91) and test-retest reliability (rtt = 0.84).
• Positive correlation between daily internet use and IAT scores (rho = 0.48).
• Higher IAT scores observed in individuals using online gambling, pornographic sites, and online games.
• Exploratory factor analysis identified three factors: 'Psychological/Emotional Conflict', 'Time Management', and 'Neglect Work', explaining 55.3% of the variance.

Conclusions:

• The Greek version of the IAT demonstrates robust psychometric properties.
• The translated IAT is comparable to the original and other translated versions.
• The Greek IAT is a valuable tool for future research on internet addiction.