Validity Evidence of the Game Addiction Scale Short Form (GAS-AF) on a Sample of Argentinian Gamers

  • Federico Maximiliano Jordan Muiños Universidad de Flores
  • Hugo Simkin Universidad de Buenos Aires y Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Keywords: video game addiction, gamer, psychometric analysis, validation, adaptation

Abstract

The objective of this study was to adapt the Short Version of the Video Game Addiction Scale (GAS-SF) for Argentinian gamers since there is no scale available in the country to assess video game addiction. For this purpose, the scale was translated from English into Spanish and retranslated to English. Confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency, parsimony, and correlational analysis were performed with the total hours of gaming per week and the Five Personality Factors. The sample was non-probabilistic and was composed of 582 Argentine video gamers between 18 and 26 years old (M = 21.30, SD = 0.10) of both sexes (men = 50.5%, women = 49.5%). According to the results obtained, the two-dimensional model is the one that best fits the sample. However, if correlational errors were calculated, the one-dimensional model also fits. Also, a positive and significant correlation was found between Neuroticism and the total number of hours played per week with the two models analyzed, and a negative and significant correlation between Responsibility, Agreeableness, and Extraversion with the two models. Following these results, the best fitting model is the two-dimensional one, although further research is needed to compare the results obtained with other studies to improve the adaptation and/or the classification criteria.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Federico Maximiliano Jordan Muiños, Universidad de Flores

Licenciado en Psicología por la Universidad de Flores. Jefe de Trabajos Prácticos en la Universidad de Flores.

Hugo Simkin, Universidad de Buenos Aires y Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

Doctor en Psicología por la Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Magister en Psicología Cognitiva y Aprendizaje por la Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Investigador Asistente del Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones, Científicas y Técnicas. Profesor Adjunto regular de la Universidad de Buenos Aires

References

Achab, S., Nicolier, M., Mauny, F., Monnin, J., Trojak, B., Vandel, P., Sechter, D., Gorwood, P., & Haffen, E. (2011). Massively multiplayer online role-playing games: comparing characteristics of addict vs non-addict online recruited gamers in a French adult population. BMC Psychiatry, 11 (144). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-11-144

American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. American Psychiatric Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

Azzollini, S., & Simkin, H. (2016). Evaluando la Personalidad de manera breve: resultados preliminares de la validación de la Escala Mini IPIP. En E. Benito (Ed.), 2o Congreso Latinoamericano para el Avance de la Ciencia Psicológica (p. 13). Asociación para el avance de la Ciencia Psicológica.

Brown, T. (2015). Confirmatory factor analysis for applied research, Second Edition. Guilford Press.

Brunborg, G. S., Hanss, D., Mentzoni, R. A., & Pallese, S. (2015). Core and peripheral criteria of video game addiction in the Game addiction scale for adolescents. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 18(5) 280-285. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2014.0509

Brunborg, G. S., Mentzoni, R. A., Melkevik, O. R., Torsheim, T., Oddrun, S., Hetland, J., Andreassen, C. S., & Palleson, S. (2013). Gaming addiction, gaming engagement, and psychological health complaints among norwegian adolescents. Media Psychology, 16, 115-128. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2012.756374

Carbonell, X., Guardiola, E., Beranuy, & M., Bellés, A. (2009). A bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature on internet, video games, and cell phone addiction. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 97(2), 102-107. https://doi.org/10.3163/1536-5050.97.2.006

Cho, G., Hwang, H., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C., M. (2020). Cutof criteria for overall model ft indexes in generalized structured component analysis. Journal of Marketing Analytics, 8, 189-202. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41270-020-00089-1

Costa, S., Barberis, N., Gugliandolo, M. C., Liga, F., Cuzzocrea, F., & Verrastro, V. (2019). Examination of the Psychometric Characteristics of the Italian Version of the Game Addiction Scale for Adolescents. Psychological Reports, 123(4), 1365-1381. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294119838758

Davidov, E., Schmidt, P., Billiet, J., & Meuleman, B. (2018). Cross-Cultural Analysis: Methods and Applications (2nd. ed.). Routdledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315537078

Donnellan, B. M., Oswald, F. L., Baird, B. M., & Lucas, R. E. (2006). The Mini-IPIP Scales: Tiny-Yet-Effective Measures of the Big Five Factors of Personality. Psychological Assessment, 18(2), 192-203. https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.18.2.192

Dreier, M., Wölfling, K., & Müller, K. W. (2013). Psychological research and a sociological perspective on problematic and addictive computer game use in adolescence. International Journal of Child and Adolescent Health, 6(4), 421-435.

Escobedo Portillo, M. T., Hernández Gómez, J. A., Estebané Ortega, V. E., & Martínez Moreno, G. (2016). Modelos de ecuaciones estructurales: características, fases, construcción, aplicación y resultados. Ciencia y Trabajo, 18(55), 16-22. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-24492016000100004

Esposito, M. R., Serra, N., Guillari, A., Simeone, S., Sarracino, F., Continisio, G. I., & Rea, T. (2020). An investigation into video game addiction in pre-adolescents and adolescents: A cross-sectional study. Medicina, 56(5), 221. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina56050221

Festl, R., Scharkow, M., & Quandt, T. (2013). Problematic computer game use among adolescents, younger and older adults. Addiction, 108(3), 592-599. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.12016

Fisher, S. (1994). Identifying video game addiction in children and adolescents. Addictive Behaviors, 19(5), 545-553. https://doi.org/10.1016/0306-4603(94)90010-8

Freiberg Hoffmann, A., & Romero-Medina, A. (2021). Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students: Comparación de las Propiedades Psicométricas entre las Versiones de Lápiz-Papel y Online en Estudiantes Universitarios. Revista Iberoamericana de Diagnóstico y Evaluación – e Avaliação Psicológica, 4(61), 165-175. https://doi.org/10.21865/RIDEP61.4.11

Freiberg Hoffmann, A., Stover, J. B., de la Iglesia, G., & Fernández Liporace, M. (2013). Correlaciones policóricas y tetracóricas en estudios factoriales exploratorios y confirmatorios. Ciencias Psicológicas, 7 (2), 151-164. https://doi.org/10.22235/cp.v7i1.1057

Gaetan, S., Bonnet, A., Brejard, V., & Cury, F. (2014). French validation of the 7-item Game Addiction Scale for adolescents. Revue européenne de psychologie appliquée, 64(4), 161-168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erap.2014.04.004

Galarza, A. L., Fernández-Liporace, M., Castañeiras, C., & Freiberg-Hoffmann, A. (2019). Análisis Psicométrico del Inventario de Orientaciones Suicidas ISO-30 en Adolescentes Escolarizados (14-18 años) y Jóvenes Universitarios Marplatenses. Revista Iberoamericana de Diagnóstico y Evaluación, 51(2), 135-147. https://doi.org/10.21865/RIDEP51.2.10

Griffiths, M. (2000). Does internet and computer “addiction” exist? Some case study evidence. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 3(2), 211-218. https://doi.org/10.1089/109493100316067

Griffiths, M. (2005a). A ‘components’ model of addiction within a biopsychosocial framework. Journal of Substance Use, 10(4), 191-197. https://doi.org/10.1080/14659890500114359

Griffiths, M. D. (2005b). Adicción a los videojuegos: Una revisión de la literatura. Psicología Conductual, 13(3), 445-462.

Griffiths, M. D., Kauss, D. J., & King, D. L. (2012). Video Game Addiction: Past, Present and Future. Current Psychiatry Reviews, 8(4), 308-318. https://doi.org/10.2174/157340012803520414

Griffiths, M. D., & Pontes, H. M. (2014). Internet addiction disorder and internet gaming disorder are not the same. Addiction Research & Therapy, 5(4), e124. https://doi.org/10.4172/2155-6105.1000e124

Hooper, D., Coughlan, J., & Mullen, M. (2008). Structural equation modelling: Guidelines for determining model fit. Electronic Journal of Business Research Methods, 6(1), 53-60.

Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1-55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118

Irmak, A. Y., & Erdoğan, S. (2015). Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Digital Game Addiction Scale. Anatolian Journal of Psychiatry, 16(1), S10-S18. https://doi.org/10.5455/apd.170337

Khazaal, Y., Chatton, A., Rothen, S., Achab, S., Thorens, G., Zullino, D., & Gmel, G. (2016). Psychometric properties of the 7-item game addiction scale among french and German speaking adults. BMC Psychiatry, 16(132), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-016-0836-3

King, D. L., & Delfabbro, P. H. (2020). Video game addiction. En C. A. Essau, & P. H. Delfabbro, (Eds.), Adolescent addiction. epidemiology, assessment, and treatment. A volume in practical resources for the mental health profesional (2nd ed., pp. 185-213). Elsevier Inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818626-8.00007-4

Kline, R. B. (2011). Principles and practice of structural equiation modeling (3rd ed.). The Guilford Press.

Kosinski, M., Matz, S. C., Gosling, S. D., Popov, V., & Stillwell, D. (2015). Facebook as a Research Tool for the Social Sciences: Opportunities, Challenges, Ethical Considerations, and Practical Guidelines. American Psychological Association, 70(6), 543-556. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039210

Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2012a). Internet gaming addiction: A systematic review of empirical research. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 10, 278-296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-011-9318-5

Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2012b). Online gaming addiction in children and adolescents: A review of empirical research. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 1(1), 3-22. https://doi.org/10.1556/JBA.1.2012.1.1

Lemmens, J. S., Valkenburg, P. M., & Peter, J. (2009). Development and Validation of a Game Addiction Scale for Adolescents. Media Psychology, 12(1), 77-95. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213260802669458

Li, C. (2016). The performance of ML, DWLS, and ULS estimation with robust corrections in structural equation models with ordinal variables. Psychological Methods, 21(3), 369-387. https://doi.org/10.1037/met0000093

Lin, C., Imani, V., Broström, A., Årestedt, K., Pakpour, A. H., & Griffiths, M. D. (2019).Evaluating the psychometric properties of the 7-item persian Game Addiction Scale for Iranian adolescents. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(149). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00149

Liu, Y., Wang, Q., Jou, M., Wang, B., An., Y., & Li, Z. (2020). Psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the 7-item game addiction scale (GAS) among Chinese college students. BMC Psychiatry, 20(484). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02830-7

Lloret Irles, D., Morell Gomis, R., Marzo Campos, J. C., & Tirado González, S. (2018). Validación española de la Escala de Adicción a Videojuegos para Adolescentes (GASA). Atención Primaria, 50(6), 350-358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aprim.2017.03.015

Männikkö, N., Billieux, J., & Kääriäinen, M. (2015). Problematic digital gaming behavior and its relation to the psychological, social and physical health of Finnish adolescents and young adults. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 4(4), 281-288. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.4.2015.040

Marco, C., & Chóliz, M. (2014). Tratamiento cognitivo-conductual de la adicción a videojuegos de rol online: fundamentos de propuesta de tratamiento y estudio de caso. Anales de Psicología, 30(1), 46-55. https://doi.org/10.6018/analesps.30.1.150851

Mathews, C. L., Morrell, H. E. R., & Molle, J. E. (2018). Video game addiction, ADHD symptomatology, and video game reinforcement. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 45(1), 65-76. https://doi.org/10.1080/00952990.2018.1472269

Mentzoni, R. A., Brunborg, G. S., Molde, H., Myrseth, H., Mår Skouverøe, K. J., Hetland, J., & Pallesen, S. (2011). Problematic video game use: estimated prevalence and associations with mental and physical health. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 14(10), 591-596. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2010.0260

Miezah, D., Batchelor, J., Megreya, A. M., Richard, Y., & Moustafa, A. A. (2020). Video/Computer Game Addiction Among University Students in Ghana: Prevalence, Correlates and Effects of Some Demographic Factors. Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 30(1), 17-23. https://doi.org/10.5455/PCP.20200320092210

Mîndrilă, D. (2010). Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Diagonally Weighted Least Squares (DWLS) Estimation Procedures: A Comparison of Estimation Bias with Ordinal and Multivariate Non-Normal Data. International Journal of Digital Society (IJDS), 1(1), 60-66. https://doi.org/10.20533/ijds.2040.2570.2010.0010

Müller, K. W., Beutel, M. E., Egloff, B., & Wölfling, K. (2014). Investigating Risk Factors for Internet Gaming Disorder: A Comparison of Patients with Addictive Gaming, Pathological Gamblers and Healthy Controls regarding the Big Five Personality Traits. European Addiction Research, 20(3) 129-136. https://doi.org/10.1159/000355832

Newzoo (2017). The Argentinian Gamer. https://newzoo.com/insights/infographics/the-argentinean-gamer-2017/

Organización Mundial de la Salud (2022). CIE-11 para estadísticas de mortalidad y morbilidad. 6C51 Trastorno por uso de videojuegos. https://icd.who.int/browse11/l-m/es#/http://id.who.int/icd/entity/1448597234

Pallesen, S., Lorvik, I. M., Bu, E. H., & Molde, H. (2015). An exploratory study investigating the effects of a treatment manual for video game addiction.Psychological Reports: Mental & Physical Health, 117(2), 490-495. https://doi.org/10.2466/02.PR0.117c14z9

Phakiti, A. (2018) Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling. En A. Phakiti, P. De Costa, L. Plonsky, & S. Starfield (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of Applied Linguistics Research Methodology (pp. 459-500). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59900-1_21

Raykov, T., & Marcoulides, ‎George A. (2011). Introduction to Psychometric Theory. London: Routledge. Rife, S. C., Cate, K. L., Kosinski, M., & Stillwell, D. (2014). Participant recruitment and data collection through Facebook: the role of personality factors. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 19(1), 69-83. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203841624

Rife, S. C., Cate, K. L., Kosinski, M., & Stillwell, D. (2014). Participant recruitment and data collection through Facebook: the role of personality factors. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 19(1), 69 – 83. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2014.957069

Rojas-Torres, L. (2020). Robustez de los Índices de ajuste del análisis factorial confirmatorio a los valores extremos.Revista de Matemática: Teoría y Aplicaciones, 27(2), 383-404. https://doi.org/10.15517/rmta.v27i2.33677

Sahin, M., Gumus, Y. Y., & Dincel, S. (2014). Game addiction and academic achievement. Educational Psychology, 36(9), 1533-1543. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2014.972342

Şalvarlı, Ş. İ., & Griffiths, M. D. (2021). Internet Gaming Disorder and Its Associated Personality Traits: A Systematic Review Using PRISMA Guidelines. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 19, 1420-1442. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-019-00081-6

Shaver, L. G., Khawer, A., Yi, Y., Aubrey-Bassler, K., Etchegary, H., Roebothan, B., Asghari, S., & Wang, P., P. (2019). Using Facebook advertising to recruit representative samples: Feasibility assessment of a cross-sectional survey. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(8), e14021. https://doi.org/10.2196/14021

Shi, D., & Maydeu-Olivares, A. (2020). The effect of estimation methods on SEM Fit Indices. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 80(3), 421-445. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164419885164

Taquet, P., Romo, L., Cottencin, O., Ortiz, D., & Hautekeete, M. (2017). Video Game Addiction: Cognitive, emotional, and behavioral determinants for CBT treatment. Journal de thérapie comportementale et cognitive, 27(3), 118-128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcc.2017.06.005

Tejeiro Salguero, R. A., & Bersabé Morán, R. M. (2002). Measuring problem video game playing in adolescents. Addiction, 97(12), 1601-1606. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1360-0443.2002.00218.x

Tejeiro, R. (2001). La adicción a los videojuegos. Una revisión. Adicciones, 13(4), 207-403. https://doi.org/10.20882/adicciones.555

Thomas, N. J., & Martin, F. H. (2010). Video-arcade game, computer game and Internet activities of Australian students: Participation habits and prevalence of addiction. Australian Journal of Psychology, 62(2), 59-66. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530902748283

Ventura-León, J. L., & Caycho-Rodríguez, T. (2017). El coeficiente Omega: un método alternativo para la estimación de la confiabilidad. Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, Niñez y Juventud, 15(1), 625-627.

Viladrich, C., Angulo-Brunet, A., & Doval, E. (2017). A journey around alpha and omega to estimate internal consistency reliability. Anales de Psicología, 33(3), 755-782. https://doi.org/10.6018/analesps.33.3.268401

Wang, C. W., Ho, R. T. H., Chan, C. L. W., & Tse, S. (2015). Exploring Personality Characteristics of Chinese Adolescents with Internet-Related Addictive Behaviors: Trait Differences for Gaming Addiction and Social Networking Addiction. Addictive Behaviors, 42, 32-35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2014.10.039

Wang, C., Chan, C. L. W., Mak, K., Ho, S., Wong, P., & Ho, R. T. H. (2014). prevalence and correlates of video and internet gaming addiction among hong kong adolescents: A pilot study. The Scientific World Journal, 2014, 874648. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/874648

Watkins, M. W. (2017). The reliability of multidimensional neuropsychological measures: from alpha to omega. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 31(6-7), 1113-1126. https://doi.org/10.1080/13854046.2017.1317364

Welch, T.D. (2019). Is Facebook a viable recruitment tool? Nurse Researcher, 28(2), 9-13. https://doi.org/10.7748/nr.2019.e1682.

Wittek, C. T., Finserås, T. R., Pallesen, S., Mentzoni, R. A., Hanss, D., Griffiths, M. D., & Molde, H. (2016). Prevalence and predictors of video game addiction: A study based on a national representative sample of gamers. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 14, 672-686. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-015-9592-8

Zhang, Z., & Yuan, K. (2016). Robust Coefficients Alpha and Omega and Confidence Intervals With Outlying Observations and Missing Data: Methods and Software. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 76(3), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164415594658

Published
2022-12-01
How to Cite
Jordan Muiños, F. M., & Simkin, H. (2022). Validity Evidence of the Game Addiction Scale Short Form (GAS-AF) on a Sample of Argentinian Gamers. Psicodebate, 22(2), 60-75. https://doi.org/10.18682/pd.v22i2.5368