Validation of the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) for forest firefighters: implications for human-technology...

The digitization of emergency response work has intensified human-technology interaction and altered the cognitive and organizational demands placed on wildland firefighters. In this study, we validated the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) in a sample of 205 wildland firefighters to identify patterns of digital use that may compromise attention, sleep, and operational safety. Factor and internal consistency analyses supported a two-factor structure that distinguished between a broad pattern of problematic engagement and more specific behaviors of loss of control; the confirmatory model showed excellent fit (CFI = 0.997; TLI = 0.997; RMSEA = 0.026; SRMR = 0.063). Although discriminant validity was limited by high inter-factor correlation, the scale exhibits adequate reliability for use as an occupational screening tool. We propose that the IAT be used in combination with ergonomic indicators and telemetry (e.g., device usage logs, fatigue and performance measures) to distinguish necessary operational use from maladaptive use and to guide interventions in digital governance, alert design, and training in technological self-regulation. These results provide a context-sensitive measure for managing digital risks in emergency services and guide future longitudinal research linking IAT scores to safety and performance outcomes.