The Clinical Utility of the Chen Internet Addiction Scale-Gaming Version, for Internet Gaming Disorder in the DSM-5 among Young Adults

Objectives: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) includes the diagnostic criteria for Internet gaming disorder (IGD). This study evaluated (1) the screening, diagnostic, and prevalence-estimated cutoff points of the Chen Internet Addiction Scale-Gaming Version (CIAS-G) for IGD in the DSM-5; and (2) the differences in the CIAS-G and subscale scores among individuals with IGD, regular gamers (RGs), and other control subjects. Methods: We recruited 69 participants with IGD, 69 RGs, and 69 healthy participants based on diagnostic interviews conducted by a psychiatrist according to DSM-5 IGD criteria. All participants completed the CIAS-G and were assessed using the clinical global impression scale. Results: The optimal screening and diagnostic cutoff points were 68 or more (sensitivity, 97.1%; specificity, 76.8%) and 72 or more (sensitivity, 85.5%; specificity, 87.0%) for IGD based on DSM-5 criteria, respectively. The 76 or more cutoff point had the highest number needed to misdiagnose and was the optimal prevalence estimated cutoff point. Conclusions: The screening cutoff point could be used to identify individuals with IGD for further diagnostic interviewing to confirm the diagnosis in the clinical setting or for two-stage epidemiological evaluation. The diagnostic cutoff point provides a provisional diagnosis of IGD when diagnostic interviewing is unavailable. The prevalence-estimated cutoff point could be used to estimate the prevalence of IGD in large-scale epidemiological investigations when further diagnostic interviewing is impractical. The clinical and epidemiological utility of CIAS-G warrants further study.