Psychometric Validation of the Compulsive Internet Use Scale in Spanish Adolescents

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Adolescent Health

Background:

• Problematic internet use is prevalent among adolescents.
• Existing screening tools are insufficient for early detection in Spain.
• Adolescent internet use requires validated assessment instruments.

Purpose of the Study:

• Validate the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) for Spanish adolescents.
• Assess the CIUS's discriminative capacity across sociodemographic factors and other behaviors.
• Establish a reliable screening tool for problematic internet use in youth.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the ESTUDES survey, a representative sample of 34,308 Spanish adolescents (ages 14-18).
• Performed psychometric validation of the CIUS, including reliability and measurement invariance testing.
• Analyzed associations between CIUS scores and substance use, gambling, and gaming behaviors.

Main Results:

• The CIUS demonstrated a robust unidimensional structure in the adolescent sample.
• The scale exhibited excellent reliability (ω = .94) and measurement invariance by sex and age.
• Higher CIUS scores correlated with past-month tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use, and past-year gambling and gaming.

Conclusions:

• The validated CIUS is a reliable and valid instrument for screening problematic internet use in Spanish adolescents.
• Early detection and intervention are critical for addressing adolescent problematic internet use.
• The CIUS can aid in identifying at-risk youth for targeted support and prevention efforts.