Internet addiction, self-esteem and the validation of the Italian version of the Internet Related Experiences Questionnaire

Introduction: The continued progression of the digital age raises the question of Internet and social media abuse among adolescents and of the need for more specific assessment instruments to measure the phenomenon. Objective: The purpose of the current study was to explore the role of intrapersonal and interpersonal factors influencing Internet addiction, as well as to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Internet Related Experiences Questionnaire (IREQ-I) in relation to a sample of Italian adolescents. Method: Two studies were designed. In study 1, a school-based sample of 838 Italian adolescents was recruited to test the psychometric properties of the IREQ-I by using a robust Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). In study 2, a total of 438 Italian adolescents were recruited to investigate the concurrent validity of the instrument. Results: We found that intrapersonal rather than interpersonal factors were associated with Internet abuse. The final version of the IREQ-I showed a good level of fit and the bi-factorial solution was consistent with the previous findings. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the IREQ-I is a valuable bifactorial instrument for measuring Internet abuse, including both intrapersonal and interpersonal factors as theoretically relevant constructs.