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Validation of the Internet Addiction Test in Students at a Pakistani Medical and Dental School

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Abstract

Despite growing concerns over pathological internet usage, studies based on validated psychometric instruments are still lacking in Pakistan. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) in a sample of Pakistani students. A total of 522 students of medicine and dentistry completed the questionnaire, which consisted of four sections: (a) demographics, (b) number of hours spent on the Internet per day, (c) English version of the IAT, and (d) the Defense Style Questionnaire-40. Maximum likelihood analysis and principal axis factoring were used to validate the factor structure of the IAT. Convergent and criterion validity were assessed by correlating IAT scores with number of hours spent online and defense styles. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis reflected the goodness of fit of a unidimensional structure of the IAT, with a high alpha coefficient. The IAT had good face and convergent validity and no floor and ceiling effects, and was judged easy to read by participants.

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Acknowledgements

We thank K. Shashok (AuthorAID in the Eastern Mediterranean) for improving the use of English in the manuscript.

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Author notes

  1. Mohsin Raza, Saamia Tahir Javed, Spogmai Khan, Mahrukh Elahi Ghumman, Sadiq Naveed and Mark Haddad contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CMH Lahore Medical College and Institute of Dentistry, Lahore Cantt, Pakistan

    Ahmed Waqas, Faisal Farooq, Mohsin Raza, Saamia Tahir Javed, Spogmai Khan & Mahrukh Elahi Ghumman

  2. KVC Health Systems, Kansas City, KS, USA

    Sadiq Naveed

  3. Centre for Mental Health Research, School of Health Sciences, City University London, Northampton Square, London, EC1V 0HB, UK

    Mark Haddad

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  1. Ahmed Waqas
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Correspondence to Ahmed Waqas.

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Waqas, A., Farooq, F., Raza, M. et al. Validation of the Internet Addiction Test in Students at a Pakistani Medical and Dental School. Psychiatr Q 89, 235–247 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-017-9528-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-017-9528-5

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