J Korean Med Sci.  2013 May;28(5):763-768. 10.3346/jkms.2013.28.5.763.

Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of the Internet Addiction Test among College Students

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Gongju National Hospital, Gongju, Korea.
  • 2Health Service Center, Gongju National University, Gongju, Korea.
  • 3Department of Psychiatry, Hanyang University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. dkim9289@hanyang.ac.kr

Abstract

We developed a Korean translation of the Internet Addiction Test (KIAT), widely used self-report for internet addiction and tested its reliability and validity in a sample of college students. Two hundred seventy-nine college students at a national university completed the KIAT. Internal consistency and two week test-retest reliability were calculated from the data, and principal component factor analysis was conducted. Participants also completed the Internet Addiction Diagnostic Questionnaire (IADQ), the Korea Internet addiction scale (K-scale), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for the criterion validity. Cronbach's alpha of the whole scale was 0.91, and test-retest reliability was also good (r = 0.73). The IADQ, the K-scale, and depressive symptoms were significantly correlated with the KIAT scores, demonstrating concurrent and convergent validity. The factor analysis extracted four factors (Excessive use, Dependence, Withdrawal, and Avoidance of reality) that accounted for 59% of total variance. The KIAT has outstanding internal consistency and high test-retest reliability. Also, the factor structure and validity data show that the KIAT is comparable to the original version. Thus, the KIAT is a psychometrically sound tool for assessing internet addiction in the Korean-speaking population.

Keyword

Internet Addiction Test; Reliability, Validity; Internet Addiction; Factor Analysis

MeSH Terms

Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Behavior, Addictive/*diagnosis
Depression/diagnosis
Female
Humans
Male
*Program Evaluation
Questionnaires
Republic of Korea
Students/psychology
*Translating
Universities
Young Adult

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