Psychometric Properties and Measurement Invariance of Video Addiction Scales: The Chinese YouTube Addiction Scale for Taiwan and Hong Kong

Po-Ching Huang¹, Chao-Ying Chen^{2

3}, I-Hua Chen⁴, Ji-Kang Chen⁵, Iqbal Pramukti⁶, Rwei-Ling Yu^{7

8

9

10}, Jung-Sheng Chen¹¹, Chi Hsien Huang^{12

13}, Xue-Lian Wang¹⁴, Amir H Pakpour¹⁵, Marc N Potenza^{16

17

18

19

20

21}, Chung-Ying Lin^{6

9

22

23}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physiotherapy, School of Nursing and Health Sciences, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
² School of Physical Therapy, Graduate Institute of Rehabilitation Science, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
³ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
⁴ Chinese Academy of Education Big Data, Faculty of Education, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China.
⁵ Department of Social Work, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.
⁶ Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia.
⁷ Institute of Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
⁸ Office of Sustainability and Strategic Planning , National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
⁹ Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
¹⁰ Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
¹¹ Department of Medical Research, E-Da Hospital, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
¹² School of Medicine, College of Medicine, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
¹³ Department of Family Medicine and Community Medicine, E-Da Hospital, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.
¹⁴ Yancheng Mechatronic Branch of Jiangsu Union Technical Institute, Yancheng, China.
¹⁵ Department of Nursing, School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden.
¹⁶ Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
¹⁷ Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
¹⁸ Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, Connecticut, USA.
¹⁹ Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
²⁰ Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
²¹ Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
²² Biostatistics Consulting Center, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
²³ School of Nursing, College of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

PMID: 41027408
DOI: 10.1177/21522715251378312

Psychometric Properties and Measurement Invariance of Video Addiction Scales: The Chinese YouTube Addiction Scale for Taiwan and Hong Kong

Po-Ching Huang et al. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2025.

. 2025 Oct 1.

doi: 10.1177/21522715251378312. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physiotherapy, School of Nursing and Health Sciences, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
² School of Physical Therapy, Graduate Institute of Rehabilitation Science, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
³ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
⁴ Chinese Academy of Education Big Data, Faculty of Education, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China.
⁵ Department of Social Work, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.
⁶ Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia.
⁷ Institute of Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
⁸ Office of Sustainability and Strategic Planning , National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
⁹ Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
¹⁰ Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
¹¹ Department of Medical Research, E-Da Hospital, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
¹² School of Medicine, College of Medicine, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
¹³ Department of Family Medicine and Community Medicine, E-Da Hospital, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.
¹⁴ Yancheng Mechatronic Branch of Jiangsu Union Technical Institute, Yancheng, China.
¹⁵ Department of Nursing, School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden.
¹⁶ Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
¹⁷ Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
¹⁸ Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, Connecticut, USA.
¹⁹ Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
²⁰ Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
²¹ Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
²² Biostatistics Consulting Center, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
²³ School of Nursing, College of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

PMID: 41027408
DOI: 10.1177/21522715251378312

Abstract

As the second most frequently visited website globally, YouTube attracts numerous people who spend significant amounts of time on the platform, potentially leading to problematic consequences. To investigate the underlying mechanism of problematic video-based social media use, the present study translated and culturally adapted the YouTube Addiction Scale (YAS) into two Chinese versions for people in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Psychometric properties and measurement invariance across regions (Taiwan and Hong Kong) and sex (male and female) were further validated. Participants from Taiwan (N = 887) and Hong Kong (N = 1,008) completed an online survey comprising the YAS, Assessment of Criteria for Specific Internet-use Disorders (ACSID-11), and Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) between September 2023 and June 2024. The results supported adequate concurrent validity of YAS with the ACSID-11 and BSMAS. A robust single-factorial structure with strong factor loadings and good internal consistency was observed among the two Chinese versions. Measurement invariance across regional and sex groups was also supported by all fit indices. Accordingly, the current findings suggest that the YAS can be used as a validated instrument to assess individuals' problematic YouTube use in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Future studies may investigate the psychosocial influences of problematic use of video-based social media platforms or use the scale in studies of active and passive use of social media.

Keywords: YouTube addiction; compulsive behaviors; impulsive behaviors; measurement invariance; psychometric properties; young adults.

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Psychometric Properties and Measurement Invariance of Video Addiction Scales: The Chinese YouTube Addiction Scale for Taiwan and Hong Kong

Affiliations

Psychometric Properties and Measurement Invariance of Video Addiction Scales: The Chinese YouTube Addiction Scale for Taiwan and Hong Kong

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Research Materials