Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Problematic Internet Entertainment Use Scale for Adolescents (PIEUSA)

This study aimed to perform a confirmatory factor analysis of the Problematic Internet Entertainment Use Scale for Adolescents (PIEUSA) on an Iranian sample. The research method was descriptive and of survey type. The population of the study was comprised of junior and senior high-school students in Tabriz in 2016-17 school year from among whom 596 students (331 girls and 265 boys) were selected based on multi-stage cluster sampling method and completed the Problematic Internet Entertainment Use Scale for Adolescents (PIEUSA). The original version of the scale had eight subscales, including 1) mental occupation, 2) abandonment, 3) tolerance, 4) lack of control, 5) resistance despite understanding the problem, 6) conflict, 7), avoiding facts, and 8) motives. The internal consistency of the whole scale was obtained through Cronbachchr('39')s alpha (0.95). The construct validity of the PIEUSA scale was gained via confirmatory factor analysis. To assess model fit, X2, X2/df, GFI, AGFI, CFI, RMR, and RMSEA indices were computed. It is worth mentioning that in order to increase the desirability of the scale in the Iranian sample, the two subscales of mental occupation and abandonment were deleted.  The results showed that it was a good-fitting model in the Iranian culture and sample. According to the findings, the Problematic Internet Entertainment Use Scale for Adolescents (PIEUSA) is a reliable and valid test in the Iranian sample and can be used for designing psychological interventions.