Psychometric Properties of the Metacognitions About Online Gaming Scale in the Chinese Population and Its Relationship With Internet Gaming Disorder: Cross-Sectional Study

Shuhong Lin; Xinxin Chen; Linxiang Tan; Zhenjiang Liao; Yifan Li; Ying Tang; Qiuping Huang; Hongxian Shen

doi:10.2196/45985

Psychometric Properties of the Metacognitions About Online Gaming Scale in the Chinese Population and Its Relationship With Internet Gaming Disorder: Cross-Sectional Study

JMIR Serious Games. 2024 Apr 22:12:e45985. doi: 10.2196/45985.

Authors

Shuhong Lin^#^{1

2}, Xinxin Chen^#^{1

2}, Linxiang Tan³, Zhenjiang Liao^{1

2}, Yifan Li^{1

2}, Ying Tang^{1

2}, Qiuping Huang⁴, Hongxian Shen^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.
² National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Changsha, China.
³ Education Center for Mental Health, Central South University, Changsha, China.
⁴ School of Humanities and Management, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 38648634
PMCID: PMC11074897
DOI: 10.2196/45985

Abstract

Background: Metacognitions about online gaming have been shown to be correlated with Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). Knowledge of metacognitions about online gaming can help to understand IGD. The Metacognitions about Online Gaming Scale (MOGS) is a reliable and valid tool to measure specific metacognitions about online gaming in both adults and adolescents, which is lacking in China.

Objective: This study was conducted to assess the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the MOGS (C-MOGS) and its relationship with IGD in the Chinese population.

Methods: A total of 772 Chinese individuals (age: mean 21.70, SD 8.81 years; age range: 13-57 years; 458/772, 59.3% male) completed a web-based questionnaire survey, including the C-MOGS and a battery of validated scales measuring IGD, gaming motives, depression, and anxiety.

Results: Through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, the 3-factor structure was confirmed to have adequate model fit and internal consistency reliability (Cronbach α≥.799, Guttman split-half coefficients≥0.754). Concurrent validity of the C-MOGS was supported by its correlations with IGD (P<.001), gaming motives (P<.001), depression (P<.001), and anxiety (P<.001). Furthermore, the incremental validity analysis showed that the C-MOGS predicted 13% of the variance in IGD while controlling for gender, age, weekly gaming hours, gaming motives, depression, and anxiety.

Conclusions: This study provides evidence that the psychometric properties of the C-MOGS are appropriate and emphasizes its positive association with IGD. The C-MOGS is a reliable and valid instrument for mental health workers to assess metacognitions about online gaming in the Chinese population.

Keywords: Chinese; Internet Gaming Disorder; metacognition; metacognitions about online gaming; psychometric properties.

©Shuhong Lin, Xinxin Chen, Linxiang Tan, Zhenjiang Liao, Yifan Li, Ying Tang, Qiuping Huang, Hongxian Shen. Originally published in JMIR Serious Games (https://games.jmir.org), 22.04.2024.