Psychometric properties of the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale: an analysis using item response theory

Zarate, D, Hobson, BA, March, E, Griffiths, MD ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8880-6524 and Stavropoulos, V, 2023. Psychometric properties of the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale: an analysis using item response theory. Addictive Behaviors Reports, 17: 100473. ISSN 2352-8532

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Abstract

Background: Social media use has become an everyday behavior in contemporary life resulting in increased participation. A minority of individuals, especially younger adults, may engage excessively with the medium, resulting in the emergence of problematic social media use (PSMU). One way of assessing PSMU is by administering the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS). The present study investigated the psychometric properties and prevalence of the BSMAS using Item Response Theory (IRT). Additionally, it evaluated risk factors such as gender and age.

Methods: A relatively large community sample (N = 968, Mage = 29.5 years, SD = 9.36, 32.5% women) completed the BSMAS online.

Results: IRT analyses showed differences regarding the BSMAS items’ discrimination, difficulty, and reliability capacities, with a raw score exceeding 26 (out of 30) indicating a higher risk of PSMU (n = 11; 1.1%). Females and younger participants were at greater risk of developing PSMU.

Conclusion: The BSMAS functions as a reliable measure of PSMU, particularly between average to high levels of the trait. Additionally, younger participants were shown to be at higher risk of PSMU suggesting that prevention and intervention protocols should focus on this group.

Item Type: Journal article
Publication Title: Addictive Behaviors Reports
Creators: Zarate, D., Hobson, B.A., March, E., Griffiths, M.D. and Stavropoulos, V.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: June 2023
Volume: 17
ISSN: 2352-8532
Identifiers:
Number
Type
10.1016/j.abrep.2022.100473
DOI
1626402
Other
Rights: © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Divisions: Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by: Laura Ward
Date Added: 12 Dec 2022 09:11
Last Modified: 12 Dec 2022 09:11
URI: https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/47617

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