Acceso usuarios
Jone Aliri Lazcano
, Olatz Goñi Balentziaga, Nekane Balluerka Lasa, Arantxa Gorostiaga Manterola
Problematic Internet use, defined as excessive, disproportionate, or inappropriate use of the Internet leading to distress, significant time consumption, and impaired normal functioning in various crucial life domains, is emerging as a major issue in many developed countries. The growing interest in exploring this phenomenon has led to the proliferation of assessment tools designed to evaluate it. The present study aims to adapt Basque the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale-2 (GPIUS-2), a questionnaire specifically designed to assess the cognitive and behavioral aspects of problematic Internet use and its associated consequences, and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the new instrument. The study was carried out with two independent samples, one composed of adults (n = 283, 18–62 years of age, 56.5% female) and the other of adolescents (n = 943, 11–16 years of age, 52.0% female). Three models were tested by confirmatory factor analysis: a one-dimensional model, the original five-factor model, and a four-factor model. The results indicated that both the 4-factor and 5-factor models obtained adequate fit indices, and consequently, the most parsimonious model was chosen. Invariance testing revealed comparable measurement properties of the GPIUS-2 in both men and women, and adults and adolescents. Furthermore, the scores of the GPIUS-2 subscales revealed strong positive correlations with Internet addiction and moderate positive correlations with depression, anxiety, and stress. The results therefore indicate that the Basque version of GPIUS-2 is a reliable instrument with adequate evidence of validity that will enable professionals to assess problematic Internet use in this population.
