The Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2 in a Polish sample: psychometric validation and relationship with specific Internet-related disorders and psychosocial functioning.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to adapt and psychometrically validate the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2 (GPIUS2) based on the cognitive-behavioral model of problematic Internet use. Furthermore, the study aimed to examine the relationship between problematic Internet use and other specific Internet-related disorders (i.e., social networking sites addiction, Facebook addiction, and problematic pornography use), as well as the relationships with indicators of poor psychosocial functioning. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: GPIUS2 was administered to 1155 young Internet users. Participants completed a survey assessing problematic Internet use, specific Internet related-disorders, and indicators of poor psychosocial functioning (anxious and avoidant attachment, social anxiety, and loneliness) via two measuring contexts (online and offline). RESULTS: The results support a four-factor internal structure of the GPIUS2, similar to that initially proposed and the results of the previous studies. GPIUS2 demonstrated good reliability as well as scalar invariance across online and offline measured contexts. CONCLUSIONS: Problematic Internet use is a multidimensional construct rather than a one-dimensional construct with strong but not overlapping positive relations with the other specific Internet-related disorders. Those relationships are especially strong among problematic activities related to the social context of Internet use. Furthermore, our findings prove the theoretical assumptions that psychosocial problems and poor social skills are related to problematic Internet use.

The fear of COVID-19 scale: Its structure and measurement invariance across 48 countries.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been a source of fear around the world. We asked whether the measurement of this fear is trustworthy and comparable across countries. In particular, we explored the measurement invariance and cross-cultural replicability of the widely used Fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S), testing community samples from 48 countries (N = 14,558). The findings indicate that the FCV-19S has a somewhat problematic structure, yet the one-factor solution is replicable across cultural contexts and could be used in studies that compare people who vary on gender and educational level. The validity of the scale is supported by a consistent pattern of positive correlations with perceived stress and general anxiety. However, given the unclear structure of the FCV-19S, we recommend using latent factor scores, instead of raw scores, especially in cross-cultural comparisons. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Is There a General Factor of Spiritual Intelligence? Factorial Validity of the Polish Adaptation of Spiritual Intelligence Self-Report Inventory.

In recent years, spirituality and the meaning of life are becoming increasingly important variables in the study of well-being, health, and happiness. The concept of spiritual intelligence (SI) was suggested as a potentially significant construct expanding our understanding of psychological determinants of human functioning. The aim of this paper was to investigate the factorial validity of the Spiritual Intelligence Self-Report Inventory (SISRI; King, 2008) in the context of research on a general factor of spiritual intelligence as a psychological construct. The SISRI was administered to 833 adults in Poland. A four-factor solution with one second-order factor of spiritual intelligence provided an inadequate solution. A four-factor solution with correlated factors and a reduced number of items provided an adequate fit to the data. It is concluded that so far, no data are supporting a single factor of SI measured by SISRI-24, and previous studies, including the original study, show that the measurement with this scale is highly problematic. Without a strong theory and proper measurement, the development of this highly promising area of research may be hindered.