ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Digital game or video game disorders have been recently (June 2018) included in ICD-11 (International Classification of Diseases) by the World Health Organization (WHO). The disorder can occur with or without an internet connection. OBJECTIVE: Validation of a scale to evaluate the dependence of pathological digital game (PDGD). METHOD: Validation of the PDGD was performed in 5 phases: (1) initial scale construction with 20 questions, (2) expert assessment, (3) application to 200 volunteers, (4) statistical analysis and production of results using statistical programs, (5) elaboration of the final validated scale. RESULTS: We used the R statistical program Version 3.4.2 and the "dplyr" package to present the descriptive statistics, the hypotheses tests of differences of means and the factorial analysis. The last step was to calculate Cronbach's alpha, in order to measure the internal consistency of the questionnaire. The value found was 0.955, which is very good. CONCLUSIONS: This research allowed us to construct a final version of the PDGD suitable for the clinical contexts and usable in research on the dependence of digital games. This scale may contribute to future studies, conscious use of technologies, reduction of physical and emotional damage and improvement of the quality of life.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adolescent , Adult , Middle Aged , Aged , Volunteers/psychology , Internet Addiction Disorder/psychology , Volunteers/statistics & numerical data , Surveys and Questionnaires , Data Interpretation, Statistical , Educational Status , Age and Sex DistributionABSTRACT
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND INFORMATION: One of the most popular social networks is WhatsApp. Abusive use of this tool has produced significant changes in behavioral and social behaviors and habits of individuals. Therefore, research is needed to allow us to specifically evaluate the interaction of WhatsApp with the daily lives of individuals. OBJECTIVE: Production and validation of a scale to evaluate WhatsApp dependence (WADS). METHODS: Validation performed in 5 phases: 1- initial scale construction with 20 questions, 2- expert evaluation, 3- application in volunteers, 4- statistical analysis and results, and 5- elaboration of the final version of the validated WADS. RESULTS: We obtained a descriptive statistical analysis, a clear-cut separation of dependents vs. non-dependents and a successful factorial analysis. These results provided a validated version of WADS. CONCLUSIONS: We were able to construct a final version of WADS adequate to clinical contexts and to be used in future research to evaluate dependence of this digital tool. WADS will contribute to the conscious use of WhatsApp, hopefully reducing harmful effects and improving quality of life.