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. 2014 Jun 1:35:10.1016/j.chb.2014.01.035.
doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2014.01.035.

The Problematic and Risky Internet Use Screening Scale (PRIUSS) for Adolescents and Young Adults: Scale Development and Refinement

Lauren A Jelenchick  1 , Jens Eickhoff  2 , Dimitri A Christakis  3 , Richard L Brown  4 , Chong Zhang  2 , Meghan Benson  5 , Megan A Moreno  3
Affiliations

The Problematic and Risky Internet Use Screening Scale (PRIUSS) for Adolescents and Young Adults: Scale Development and Refinement

Lauren A Jelenchick et al. Comput Human Behav. .

Abstract

Problematic Internet use (PIU) is a growing health concern among adolescents and young adults. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to develop and refine a theoretically-grounded and psychometrically-validated assessment instrument for PIU specifically tailored to adolescents and young adults. An item pool was developed using concept mapping and a review of the literature, and administered to 714 students from two universities between 18 and 25 years of age. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used in a development subsample (n=500) to construct the scale. A cross-validation sample (n=214) was used to confirm the scale's reliability. The Problematic and Risky Internet Use Screening Scale (PRIUSS) is an 18-item scale with three subscales: Social Impairment, Emotional Impairment, and Risky/Impulsive Internet Use. Based on its strong theoretical foundation and promising psychometric performance, the PRIUSS may be a valuable tool for screening and prevention efforts in this population.

Keywords: Internet use; concept mapping; problematic Internet use; psychometrics; scale development; screening.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Interest

The authors do not have any financial disclosures nor conflicts of interest to report.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Conceptual framework of PIU in older adolescents a aFigure adapted from Moreno, Jelenchick & Christakis (2012)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Scree plot of exploratory factor analysis
Figure 3
Figure 3
The Problematic and Risky Internet Use Scale (PRIUSS)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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