Compulsive Internet Use Scale for assessment of self-reported problematic internet use in primary school-aged children

Roma Jusienė; Vilmantė Pakalniškienė; Jennifer Chun-Li Wu; Sandra B Sebre

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1173585

Compulsive Internet Use Scale for assessment of self-reported problematic internet use in primary school-aged children

Front Psychiatry. 2023 Jun 30:14:1173585. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1173585. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Roma Jusienė¹, Vilmantė Pakalniškienė¹, Jennifer Chun-Li Wu², Sandra B Sebre³

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Psychology, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.
² Department of Early Childhood and Family Education, National Taipei University of Education, Taipei, Taiwan.
³ Department of Psychology, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia.

Abstract

Introduction: The tremendous growth of internet use during past few decades has been primarily led by young people. Despite a plenitude of studies reporting the pros and cons of excessive internet use by adolescents, the internet use of primary school-aged children is under-researched. First, there is lack of reliable and valid cultural invariant self-report instruments for children younger than 11-years-old. Secondly, there is no consensus on whether primary school-aged children can reliably report on their internet use. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) as reported by primary school-aged children in three different countries/regions.

Methods: Paper-pencil format CIUS questionnaires were completed by a total of 691 children aged 8 to 10 years old, 236 of them Latvian, 207 Lithuanian, and 248 Taiwanese, as well as by one of their parents, at two-time points, separated by a one-year interval. The parents also reported on the child's emotional and behavioral difficulties.

Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that for the child self-report, a 10-item CIUS showed the best fit and good psychometric properties: solid structural validity; very good internal consistency; appropriate stability and predictive validity after 1 year; as well as sound sensitivity and specificity when compared to the 14-item CIUS parent-report form. Child self-report CIUS ratings correlated with time online reported by the child and parent and with emotional and behavioral problems reported by the parent.

Discussion: This study indicates that children as young as 8-10 years old can reliably and consistently provide valuable information on their problematic use of the internet.

Keywords: CIUS; children; internet use; multiple informants; psychometric validation.