Internet Gaming Disorder as a formative construct: Implications for conceptualization and measurement. Issue 7 (6th July 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: van Rooij, Antonius J; Van Looy, Jan; Billieux, Joël
• Is Part Of: Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences. Volume 71:Issue 7(2017)
• Page Start: 445
• Page End: 458
• Publication Date: 2016-07-06
• Subjects: formative measurement model -- Internet Gaming Disorder -- psychometrics -- reflective measurement model -- validation; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; 616.89
• DOI: 10.1111/pcn.12404
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1323-1316

Abstract

Abstract : Some people have serious problems controlling their Internet and video game use. The DSM‐5 now includes a proposal for 'Internet Gaming Disorder' (IGD) as a condition in need of further study. Various studies aim to validate the proposed diagnostic criteria for IGD and multiple new scales have been introduced that cover the suggested criteria. Using a structured approach, we demonstrate that IGD might be better interpreted as a formative construct, as opposed to the current practice of conceptualizing it as a reflective construct. Incorrectly approaching a formative construct as a reflective one causes serious problems in scale development, including: (i) incorrect reliance on item‐to‐total scale correlation to exclude items and incorrectly relying on indices of inter‐item reliability that do not fit the measurement model (e.g., Cronbach's α); (ii) incorrect interpretation of composite or mean scores that assume all items are equal in contributing value to a sum score; and (iii) biased estimation of model parameters in statistical models. We show that these issues are impacting current validation efforts through two recent examples. A reinterpretation of IGD as a formative construct has broad consequences for current validation efforts and provides opportunities to reanalyze existing data. We discuss three broad implications for current research: (i) composite latent constructs should be defined and used in models; (ii) item exclusion and selection should not rely on item‐to‐total scale correlations; and (iii) existing definitions of IGD should be enriched further.