The World Health Organization officially included Gaming Disorder in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) in 2019. One of the most used tools to measure this disorder is the Gaming Disorder Test, but it is relatively new, its features have not been fully explored, and it has only been adapted into a limited number of languages so far.
In their research, Dita Siřínková and Lukas Blinka from INPSY and Christian Montag from the Institute of Psychology and Education at the University of Ulm present the Czech adaptation of the Gaming Disorder Test and focus on its psychometric properties, prevalence, temporal stability and invariance across preferred game genres. This study is not only the first of its kind in the Czech Republic, but also the first in an international context to examine the scale in a longitudinal perspective (gamers were surveyed twice, nine months apart). In the first wave of the study, valid responses were obtained from 5356 participants, and in the second wave from 6077. 1430 people participated in both measurements.
How well does the Czech version of the test measure?
The results of the study show that the Czech adaptation of the Gaming Disorder Test has good psychometric properties. According to the results, the test showed a single-factor structure, which means that all items of the test measured the same concept of gaming disorder. The test also showed consistent results regardless of which gaming genre the respondents preferred, as well as temporal stability between the two measurements, which were taken nine months apart.
Gaming Disorder close up
An important part of the research was to determine the prevalence of gaming disorder among Czech gamers. In the longitudinal sample, the prevalence of this disorder was very low, at a maximum of 1.9 percent in each research wave, with only 0.5 percent of participants meeting the criteria for a gaming disorder in both waves of the study. These findings suggest that gaming disorder is relatively rare in the Czech population. However, it can have serious consequences for individuals who suffer from it, so it is crucial to have a reliable tool for testing and early detection.
To gain a deeper understanding of gaming disorder, the author team focused on its relationship with other psychological aspects. Consistent with previous research, gaming disorder has been shown to be associated with higher anxiety and lower life satisfaction.
The team of authors successfully validated the Gaming Disorder Test for the Czech Republic. The adaptation of the test shows good psychometric properties, including temporal stability and invariance across game genres, and is suitable for epidemiological studies in the diagnosis of gaming disorder according to ICD-11. As Gaming Disorder has recently been recognized as an official diagnosis, the test can play an important role in monitoring its prevalence in the Czech population and in developing strategies for its prevention and treatment.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Recommended citation
Siřínková, D., Blinka, L., & Montag, C. (2024). Gaming Disorder Test: Assessing Psychometric Properties, Prevalence, Temporal Stability, and Invariance Using a Czech Two-time-point Longitudinal Sample. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 175, 192–199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.05.023
