A Screen for Identifying Maladaptive Internet Use.

A screening tool (in Chinese) for maladaptive internet use was developed in two stages. Thirty-five factors were first extracted from data obtained from 378 adolescents with a 179-item questionnaire. Nine higher-order factors were then obtained from 35 factors. A 26-item screen that measures both endogenous and exogenous factors was constructed on the basis of the nine higher-order factors. The screen’s split-half validity and concurrent criterion-related validity were ascertained with a new sample of 3,523 adolescents. The screen may be used to classify adolescent internet-users into four categories. Its endogenous part may be used to identify potential problem internet users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]