Psychometric Properties of Turkish Version of Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale-2 and the Relationship Between Internet Use Patterns and Problematic Internet Use

This study aimed to validate and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale-2 (GPIUS2), to categorize Internet use patterns (IUP) that are academic, social, and recreational, and to elucidate the current state of the relationships between demographic characteristics, problematic Internet use (PIU), and IUP. To this end, two studies were conducted 1 year apart at two different public universities in Turkey. The first study tested the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the GPIUS2 for young adults alongside piloting the Internet Use Patterns Questionnaire (IUPQ) with a total of 328 university students in the fall semester of 2017–2018. In a follow-up study, the Turkish version of the GPIUS2 was further validated alongside the examination of IUP with 479 university students in the fall semester of 2018–2019. Factor analyses were conducted in both studies to examine the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the GPIUS2. Pearson correlation, independent samples T-test, and ANOVA were conducted in the follow-up study to examine the relationship between demographic information, PIU, and IUP. In both the initial and follow-up studies, the translated version of the GPIUS2 proved to be a reliable, valid, and acceptable measurement instrument with 14 items and three factors. Regarding the relationship between IUP and PIU, duration of use rather than purpose of use frequency was found to be related to PIU. An increase in the duration of academic use implies a decrease in PIU, and the opposite is true for social and recreational use. The surprising, nonsignificant relationship between grade point average and PIU is discussed in line with the literature.