Development and Differential Item Functioning of the Internet Addiction Test-Revised (IAT-R): An Item Response Theory...

Area of Science:

• Psychometrics
• Mental Health Assessment
• Behavioral Addiction Research

Background:

• Internet addiction is a growing concern among university students.
• The Internet Addiction Test-Revised (IAT-R) requires rigorous validation for diverse populations.
• Assessing measurement invariance across demographic groups, such as gender, is crucial for scale utility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the differential item functioning (DIF) of the Internet Addiction Test-Revised (IAT-R) using item response theory.
• To evaluate the construct validity and reliability of the IAT-R in a sample of Asian university students.
• To examine measurement equivalence of the IAT-R between genders.

Main Methods:

• Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with robust maximum likelihood and diagonal weighted least squares estimation.
• Item response theory (IRT) models, including the graded response model, to analyze item and test characteristic curves.
• Ordinal logistic regression and Monte Carlo simulations to detect differential item functioning (DIF) between genders.

Main Results:

• A three-factor model (Excessive Use and Neglect Work, Anticipation and Lack of Control, Neglect Social Life and Salience) demonstrated good fit.
• All items showed sensitivity at moderate-to-high trait levels, indicating robust measurement properties.
• No significant nonuniform scale-level DIF was found between genders, supporting measurement equivalence.

Conclusions:

• The Internet Addiction Test-Revised (IAT-R) is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing internet addiction.
• The IAT-R exhibits measurement equivalence across genders, making it suitable for use in both male and female university student populations.
• The findings support the use of the IAT-R in clinical and research settings for understanding and addressing internet addiction.