Open Access

ARTICLE

Validity, Reliability, and Measurement Invariance of the Thai Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale and Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale

by Kamolthip Ruckwongpatr^1,#, Chirawat Paratthakonkun^2,#, Usanut Sangtongdee^3,4,*, Iqbal Pramukti⁵, Ira Nurmala⁶, Kanokwan Angkasith⁷, Weena Thanachaisakul⁷, Jatuphum Ketchatturat⁸, Mark D. Griffiths⁹, Yi-Kai Kao^10,*, Chung-Ying Lin^1,5,11,12

1 Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 701401, Taiwan
2 College of Sports Science and Technology, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, 73170, Thailand
3 Department of Forensic Science, Royal Police Cadet Academy, Nakhon Pathom, 73110, Thailand
4 School of Computing, Engineering, and Digital Technology, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK
5 Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Padjadjaran, West Java, 45363, Indonesia
6 Division of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, 60115, Indonesia
7 Faculty of Education, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
8 Faculty of Education, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, 40002, Thailand
9 International Gaming Research Unit, Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, NG1 4FQ, UK
10 Division of Colorectal Surgery, E-DA Hospital, Kaohsiung, 82445, Taiwan
11 College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 701401, Taiwan
12 Biostatistics Consulting Center, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, 701401, Taiwan

* Corresponding Authors: Usanut Sangtongdee. Email: ; Yi-Kai Kao. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Addressing Social Issues through Mental Health Promotion in Vulnerable Populations: Challenges, Strategies, and Interventions)

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2024, 26(4), 293-302. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2024.047023

Received 22 October 2023; Accepted 05 February 2024; Issue published 04 May 2024

Abstract

Background: In recent years, there has been increased research interest in both smartphone addiction and social media addiction as well as the development of psychometric instruments to assess these constructs. However, there is a lack of psychometric evaluation for instruments assessing smartphone addiction and social media addiction in Thailand. The present study evaluated the psychometric properties and gender measurement invariance of the Thai version of the Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS) and Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS). Method: A total of 801 Thai university students participated in an online survey from January 2022 to July 2022 which included demographic information, SABAS, BSMAS, and the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form (IGDS9-SF). Results: Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFAs) found that both the SABAS and BSMAS had a one-factor structure. Findings demonstrated adequate psychometric properties of both instruments and also supported measurement invariance across genders. Moreover, scores on the SABAS and BSMAS were correlated with scores on the IGDS9-SF. Conclusion: The results indicated that the SABAS and BSMAS are useful psychometric instruments for assessing the risk of smartphone addiction and social media addiction among Thai young adults.

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