Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of the Internet Addiction Test among College Students

We developed a Korean translation of the Internet Addiction Test (KIAT), widely used self-report for internet addiction and tested its reliability and validity in a sample of college students. Two hundred seventy-nine college students at a national university completed the KIAT. Internal consistency and two week test-retest reliability were calculated from the data, and principal component factor analysis was conducted. Participants also completed the Internet Addiction Diagnostic Questionnaire (IADQ), the Korea Internet addiction scale (K-scale), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for the criterion validity. Cronbach's alpha of the whole scale was 0.91, and test-retest reliability was also good (r = 0.73). The IADQ, the K-scale, and depressive symptoms were significantly correlated with the KIAT scores, demonstrating concurrent and convergent validity. The factor analysis extracted four factors (Excessive use, Dependence, Withdrawal, and Avoidance of reality) that accounted for 59% of total variance. The KIAT has outstanding internal consistency and high test-retest reliability. Also, the factor structure and validity data show that the KIAT is comparable to the original version. Thus, the KIAT is a psychometrically sound tool for assessing internet addiction in the Korean-speaking population.

Validation and Factor Structure of Korean Version of the Beck Depression Inventory Second Edition (BDI-II) : In a University Student Sample

OBJECTIVES: The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is one of the most widely used self-report measures of depression in both research and clinical practice. The Beck Depression Inventory Second Edition (BDI-II) is the most recent version of the BDI. Validity of the BDI-II has been documented in other countries. This study examined the factor structure of the Korean version of BDI-II in a large sample of university students. METHOD: Data were obtained from 2,529 students of Kongju National University. The factor structures of the Korean version of BDI-II were assessed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. RESULTS: A high level of internal consistency and reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.91) and item homogeneity was confirmed. Exploratory factor analysis showed a two-factor structure (cognitive and somatic-affective), which was almost identical to the original model demonstrated by Beck et al. The following confirmatory factor analysis also supported the two-factor structure (cognitive and somatic-affective) is a better fit than the other two-factor structure (cognitive-affective and somatic). The higher mean score for women compared to men is consistent with the results of previous reports. CONCLUSION: These data support the reliability and concurrent validity of the Korean version of BDI-II as a measure of depressive symptoms in nonclinical samples.