Psychometric Testing of the Personal Internet Gaming Disorder Evaluation-9: A New Measure Designed to Assess Internet Gaming Disorder

Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) is in the early stages of recognition as a disorder, following its inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association(1)) as a condition for further study. Existing measures of Internet gaming pathology are limited in their ability to measure IGD as defined in the DSM-5. We present the initial development and validation of a new measure derived from the proposed DSM-5 criteria for IGD, the Personal Internet Gaming Disorder Evaluation-9 (PIE-9). A student sample (n=119) and a community sample (n=285), sourced through a variety of online gaming forums, completed an online survey comprising the new measure, existing measures of IGD, and a range of health and demographic questions. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis supported a single factor structure for the 9-item PIE-9. Internal consistency (=0.89) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation [ICC]=0.77) were high. Convergent validity was demonstrated with similar gaming addiction measures. Predictive validity was established through significant differences in distress and disability between those who met the criteria for IGD and those who did not. The distress and disability associated with meeting IGD criteria fell within the range of other common DSM-5 disorders. Preliminary testing of the PIE-9 has demonstrated that it is an efficient and straightforward measure for use in further research of IGD, and as a potential screening measure in clinical practice.