Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of the Arab Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) by Item Response Theory Modeling (IRT)

Yasser Khazaal (), Fares Zine El Abiddine, Louise Penzenstadler, Djamal Berbiche, Ghada Bteich, Saeideh Valizadeh-Haghi, Lucien Rochat, Sophia Achab, Riaz Khan and Anne Chatton
Additional contact information
Yasser Khazaal: Addiction Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital and Lausanne University, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Fares Zine El Abiddine: Laboratory Psychological and Educational Research, Department of Psychology, University Djillali Liabes of Sidi Bel Abbes, Sidi Bel Abbes 22000, Algeria
Louise Penzenstadler: Addiction Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospitals, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
Djamal Berbiche: Charles-LeMoyne Hospital Research Centre, Sherbrooke University, Sherbrooke, QC J1K 2R1, Canada
Ghada Bteich: Faculty of Public Health, Lebanon University, Tripoli P.O. Box 6573/14, Lebanon
Saeideh Valizadeh-Haghi: Department of Medical Library and Information Sciences, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Lucien Rochat: Addiction Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospitals, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
Sophia Achab: Addiction Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospitals, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
Riaz Khan: Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, Frontier Medical College Affiliated to Bahria University Islamabad, Abbottabad 22010, Pakistan
Anne Chatton: Department of Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospitals, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 19, 1-18

Abstract: Introduction: The psychometric properties of the Arab translation of the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) have been previously studied by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with AMOS software using the asymptotically distribution-free (ADF) estimator. Unidimensionality has been achieved at the cost of correlating several item variance errors. However, several reviews of SEM software packages and estimation methods indicate that the option of robust standard errors is not present in the AMOS package and that ADF estimation may yield biased parameter estimates. We therefore explored a second analysis through item response theory (IRT) using the parametric graded response model (GRM) and the marginal maximum likelihood (MML) estimation method embedded in the LTM package of R software. Differential item functioning (DIF) or item bias across subpopulations was also explored within IRT framework as different samples were investigated. The objective of the current study is to (1) analyze the Arab CIUS scale with IRT, (2) investigate DIF in three samples, and (3) contribute to the ongoing debate on Internet-use-related addictive behaviors using the CIUS items as a proxy. Methods: We assessed three samples of people, one in Algeria and two in Lebanon, with a total of 1520 participants. Results: Almost three out of every five items were highly related to the latent construct. However, the unidimensionality hypothesis was not supported. Furthermore, besides being locally dependent, the scale may be weakened by DIF across geographic regions. Some of the CIUS items related to increasing priority, impaired control, continued use despite harm, and functional impairment as well as withdrawal and coping showed good discriminative capabilities. Those items were endorsed more frequently than other CIUS items in people with higher levels of addictive Internet use. Conclusions: Contrary to earlier ADF estimation findings, unidimensionality of the CIUS scale was not supported by IRT parametric GRM in a large sample of Arab speaking participants. The results may be helpful for scale revision. By proxy, the study contributes to testing the validity of addiction criteria applied to Internet use related-addictive behaviors.

Keywords: Compulsive Internet Use Scale; compulsive internet use; internet addiction; item response theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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