PIUS-a: Problematic Internet Use Scale in adolescents. Development and psychometric validation.

Adolescents' use of the Internet is becoming a matter of great concern for different sectors of society. The psychological and behavioural consequences of problematic Internet use in young people demands quick and effective answers. One of the major challenges in this context is the development of empirically validated tools, which would facilitate early detection and screening for potential risk cases. This is precisely the aim of this paper. Based on a sample of 1,709 secondary-school students from Galicia (a region in northern Spain) aged 11 to 17 (M = 13.74, SD = 1.43), the analysis carried out permitted us to present a brief and simple tool (with just 11 items). It has substantial theoretical support, since both the existing background information and the views of experts from the academic and professional spheres were taken into account in the course of its development. The scale is adapted to the Spanish cultural context and to the language of young people. It has satisfactory psychometric properties in terms of reliability of the scores (α = .82), evidence of its internal structure (tested via a Confirmatory Factorial Analysis), sensitivity (81%), and specificity (82.6%). Moreover, its use enables the gradation of adolescents on a risk or problematic Internet use continuum. In our view, all of this lends it enormous applied potential in both the educational and clinical contexts.

Validación del "Test de identificación de trastorno por consumo de alcohol" (AUDIT) en población adolescente española / Validation of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) among Spanish adolescent population

El "Test de identificación de trastornos por consumo de alcohol" (AUDIT) es uno de los instrumentos de cribado de consumo de alcohol que más pruebas empíricas acumula, aunque en España no se ha informado todavía de sus propiedades psicométricas con adolescentes. Este ha sido el objetivo de este trabajo. Se utilizó una metodología correlacional, consistente en la realización de una entrevista individual a una muestra de 569 adolescentes de 12 a 18 años (M= 14,71; DT= 1,79), en la que se incluyó la subescala para el diagnóstico del trastorno por consumo de alcohol de la "Entrevista diagnóstica para adolescentes" (ADI), la subescala de Consumo y abuso de sustancias del "Instrumento de cribado orientado a problemas para adolescentes" (POSIT) y el "Test de cribado de abuso de sustancias" (CRAFFT). El AUDIT presentó una adecuada consistencia interna (alfa= 0,82) y mostró sensibilidad (86,4%) y especificidad (89,8%) utilizando como punto de corte "4". El análisis factorial ha confirmado dos factores como la solución más satisfactoria. Estos resultados permiten utilizar el AUDIT con adolescentes españoles con garantías psicométricas

One of the instruments for the screening of problematic alcohol consumption with more empirical evidence is the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). However there is no study in Spain that reports its psychometric properties among adolescents. This has been the aim of this paper. A correlational method was used by administering an individual interview to a sample of 569 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years (M= 14.71, SD= 1.79). A subscale for the diagnosis of alcohol use disorder of the Adolescent Diagnostic Interview (ADI) was included as well as the subscale of Substance use and abuse of the Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT) and the CRAFFT Substance Abuse Screening Test. The AUDIT presents an adequate psychometric behavior when it is applied to adolescents, both in terms of internal consistency (alfa = .82), as well as sensitivity (86.4%) and specificity (89.8%), using "4" as cut-off point. Factorial analysis has confirmed two factors as the most satisfactory solution. Henceforth, the AUDIT may be used in Spain with adolescents with psychometric guarantees

EUPI-a: Escala de Uso Problemático de Internet en adolescentes. Desarrollo y validación psicométrica / PIUS-a: Problematic Internet Use Scale in adolescents. Development and psychometric validation

El uso que los adolescentes hacen de Internet viene suscitando una enorme preocupación en diferentes sectores de la sociedad. Las consecuencias a nivel psicológico y conductual que el uso problemático de la Red provoca entre los más jóvenes demandan una respuesta tan rápida como eficaz. Uno de los grandes retos en este contexto es el desarrollo de herramientas validadas empíricamente, que permitan hacer un cribado o detección precoz de posibles casos de riesgo. Ese es precisamente el objetivo de este trabajo. A partir de una muestra de 1709 escolares de Enseñanza Secundaria Obligatoria de la comunidad gallega, de edades comprendidas entre los 11 y los 17 años (M = 13,74; DT = 1,43), los análisis realizados permiten presentar una herramienta breve y sencilla (compuesta por solo 11 ítems), que goza de un importante aval teórico, ya que para su elaboración se tuvieron en cuenta tanto los antecedentes existentes en la literatura, como las opiniones de expertos del ámbito académico y profesional. Dicha escala, además de estar adaptada al contexto cultural español y al lenguaje de los adolescentes, presenta unas propiedades psicométricas satisfactorias, tanto en términos de fiabilidad de las puntuaciones (α = ,82) y evidencias de su estructura interna (probada a través de un Análisis Factorial Confimatorio), como de sensibilidad (81%) y especificidad (82,6%), permitiendo 'escalar' a los adolescentes en un continuum de riesgo o uso problemático de Internet. Todo ello le confiere, a nuestro modo de ver, un notable potencial a nivel aplicado, tanto en el contexto educativo como clínico

Adolescents' use of the Internet is becoming a matter of great concern for different sectors of society. The psychological and behavioural consequences of problematic Internet use in young people demands quick and effective answers. One of the major challenges in this context is the development of empirically validated tools, which would facilitate early detection and screening for potential risk cases. This is precisely the aim of this paper. Based on a sample of 1,709 secondaryschool students from Galicia (a region in northern Spain) aged 11 to 17 (M = 13.74, SD = 1.43), the analysis carried out permitted us to present a brief and simple tool (with just 11 items). It has substantial theoretical support, since both the existing background information and the views of experts from the academic and professional spheres were taken into account in the course of its development. The scale is adapted to the Spanish cultural context and to the language of young people. It has satisfactory psychometric properties in terms of reliability of the scores (α = .82), evidence of its internal structure (tested via a Confirmatory Factorial Analysis), sensitivity (81%), and specificity (82.6%). Moreover, its use enables the gradation of adolescents on a risk or problematic Internet use continuum. In our view, all of this lends it enormous applied potential in both the educational and clinical contexts