Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 17, 2026
A Computer-Based Platform for Aiding Clinicians in Eating Disorder Analysis and Diagnosis
Published on: May 10, 2022
Assessment of Semi-Structured Clinical Interview for Mobile Phone Addiction Disorder
Seyyed Salman Alavi1, Mohammad Reza Mohammadi1, Fereshteh Jannatifard1
1Psychiatry and Psychology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Objective:
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) classified mobile phone addiction disorder under "impulse control disorder not elsewhere classified". This study surveyed the diagnostic criteria of DSM-IV-TR for the diagnosis of mobile phone addiction in correspondence with Iranian society and culture.
Method:
Two hundred fifty students of Tehran universities were entered into this descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study. Quota sampling method was used. At first, semi- structured clinical interview (based on DSM-IV-TR) was performed for all the cases, and another specialist reevaluated the interviews. Data were analyzed using content validity, inter-scorer reliability (Kappa coefficient) and test-retest via SPSS18 software.
Results:
The content validity of the semi- structured clinical interview matched the DSM-IV-TR criteria for behavioral addiction. Moreover, their content was appropriate, and two items, including "SMS pathological use" and "High monthly cost of using the mobile phone" were added to promote its validity. Internal reliability (Kappa) and test-retest reliability were 0.55 and r = 0.4 (p<0. 01) respectively.
Conclusion:
The results of this study revealed that semi- structured diagnostic criteria of DSM-IV-TR are valid and reliable for diagnosing mobile phone addiction, and this instrument is an effective tool to diagnose this disorder.
