To verify the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Gaming Disorder Scale for Adolescents (GADIS-A) among middle school students aged 12-17 years old.

A total of 1 370 middle school students were assessed with the Chinese version of the GADIS-A, the Chinese version of the Young′s Internet Addiction Self-rating Questionnaire, and the self-compiled basic information questionnaire. Ten percent of the subjects were retested after two weeks. The reliability of the scale was tested by homogeneous reliability, split-half reliability and test-retest reliability. The validity of the scale was examined by exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The standard validity of the Chinese version of Young′s self-assessment questionnaire on Internet addiction and the Chinese version of the Adolescent Play Disorder Scale was tested by Pearson correlation analysis.

Item analysis showed that there were significant mean differences among each item (P<0.001). The Cronbach′s Alpha coefficient of the Chinese version of the GADIS-A total scale was 0.870, and the Cronbach′s Alpha coefficient of factor 1 and factor 2 were both 0.823. The test-retest reliability of the total scale was 0.894, the test-retest reliability of factor 1 was 0.813, and the test-retest reliability of factor 2 was 0.768. The total scores of the Chinese version of the Yang′s Internet Addiction Self-Assessment Questionnaire and the subscale scores of getting along with parents, family atmosphere, and academic performance were significantly correlated with the total score, factor 1 score, and factor 2 score of the GADIS-A. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure in the GADIS-A. The eigenvalue of factor 1 was 4.371, the eigenvalue of factor 2 was 1.035, and the cumulative variance was 0.638. The factor loading of items loaded noto factor 1 were between 0.633 and 0.821, the factor loading of items loaded noto factor 2 ranged from 0.570 to 0.866, and the loading of each item was above 0.500. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the fit indexes of the Chinese version of GADIS-A were as follows: χ²/df=4.537, GFI=0.963, TLI=0.941, CFI=0.957, and RMSEA=0.072.

The Chinese version of the GADIS-A has good reliability and validity and could be used as an assessment tool for Chinese adolescents aged 12-17 years old in detecting gaming disorders.

Game disorder; Gaming Disorder Scale for Adolescents; Reliability; Validity