Validation of the ACSID-11 for consistent screening of specific Internet-use disorders based on ICD-11 criteria for gaming disorder: A multitrait-multimethod approach

Introduction: With the inclusion of gaming disorder in the ICD-11, diagnostic criteria were introduced for this relatively new disorder. These criteria may be applied to other potential specific Internet -use disorders. The 11item Assessment of Criteria for Specific Internet -use Disorders (ACSID-11) was developed for consistent screening of gaming disorder, online buying-shopping disorder, online pornography-use disorder, social networks-use disorder, and online gambling disorder. This study tested the construct validity of the ACSID-11, including convergent and divergent measures. Methods: The ACSID-11 measures five behavioral addictions with the same set of items by following the principles of the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST). The ACSID-11 was administered to a convenience sample of active Internet users ( N = 1597) together with validated and established measures of each specific Internet -use disorder along with screeners for mental health. Included are the Ten-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGDT-10), the Bergen Shopping Addiction Scale (BSAS), the Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale (PPCS), the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) and the Berlin Inventory of Gambling behavior - Screening (BIG -S). The ACSID-11 was compared convergently and divergently through a multitrait-multimethod approach along with contingency tables with the other Internetuse disorder screeners. Results: The multitrait-multimethod results shows that each behavior assessed with the ACSID-11 has moderate to strong correlations ( r 's from 0.462 to 0.609) with the scores of the corresponding established measures and, furthermore, positive correlations ( r 's from 0.122 to 0.434) with measures of psychological distress and further shows that the ACSID-11 can be used for a comprehensive assessment of different behaviors. The contingency tables reveal large divergences between the ACSID-11 and other screening instruments concerning the classification of problematic specific Internet use based on the given cut-off values. Conclusion: The current work provides additional validation for the ACSID-11. Accordingly, this tool can be considered as reliable and valid for the simultaneous assessment of different Internet -use disorders: gaming disorder, online buying-shopping disorder, online pornography use disorder, social networks use disorder, and online gambling disorder. With a subsequent clinical validation of the scale and the proposed cut-off score, the ACSID-11 will be a thoroughly validated useful screening tool for clinical practice.