Digital Media Overuse Scale (dMOS)

Abstract

The Digital Media Overuse Scale (dMOS; Hipp et al., 2023) was developed to assess problematic overuse of digital media while remaining capable of adapting to changes in the digital media landscape as they emerge. An initial 81 questions (including five foils and two that were asked twice) were generated to index behaviors and attitudes related to digital media overuse. The skeletal structure of the instrument consisted of 14 questions for each digital media domain (e.g., cessation, escape, tolerance). Smartphone use was indexed by three additional questions (18 total), as smartphones are hardware and thus have a physical presence in the world worth asking about. Latent class analysis was conducted on data from 800 college-aged students. Five primary domains were identified. Results regarding the internal consistency and external validity were reported.

Keywords

Behavioral Addiction; Digital Media Overuse; External Validity; Gaming; Internet Video/Streaming Sites; Latent Class Analysis; Pornography; Problematic Behavior; Smartphone Usage; Social Media

Authors

Hipp, D.; Blakley, E. C.; Hipp, N.; Gerhardstein, P.; Kennedy, B.; Markle, T.

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Purpose

The dMOS was designed to index problematic behaviors and attitudes related to digital media use. This instrument can help researchers and clinicians to understand the psychological dynamics around digital media overuse.

Validity

External Validity: The external validity of the instrument by dint of further clinical comparisons requires further establishment, but the small sample of clinical responses we have obtained appear to overlap well with the most extreme latent class analysis (LCA) class in each domain.

Reliability

Internal Consistency: The current sample, across all 80 individual indicator questions (pooled across domains), produced a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.948. Reliability scores obtained fell well within acceptable limits: (gaming: 0.916; pornography: 0.887; social media: 0.891; videos: 0.898; phone: 0.887).

Factor Analysis

Exploratory Latent Class Analysis: Exploratory LCA was applied to each of the domains (digital gaming, pornography use, social media, video, and smartphone use). The expectation that LCA would reveal at least two classes of respondent for each domain was confirmed. The analyses revealed that all five domains were effectively described using at least two and no more than three classes.

Instrument

Test Type: Original Inventory/Questionnaire

Format: Each question had five possible responses: 0 (not at all), 1 (sometimes), 2 (often), and 3 (always), and 4 (recoded as N/A in R).

Language Available: English

Population Group: Human; Male; Female

Age Group: Adulthood (18 yrs & older)

Population Details:

• Location: United States

• Respondents: College Students; Patients Seeking Clinical Services

Test Methodology: Test Validity; Test Reliability; Internal Consistency

Keywords

Internet; Internet Addiction; Pornography; Social Media; Latent Class Analysis; Nonsubstance Related Addictions; Nonsubstance Related Addiction Measures; Digital Media; Streaming Technology; Digital Gaming; Smartphone Use; External Validity

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier:

• Hipp, D.: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3847-2268

Affiliation:

• Hipp, D.: Digital Media Treatment and Education Center

• Blakley, E. C.: Binghamton University Department of Psychology

• Hipp, N.: Collegiate Coaching Services

• Gerhardstein, P.: Binghamton University Department of Psychology

• Kennedy, B.: Digital Media Treatment and Education Center

• Markle, T.: Digital Media Treatment and Education Center

Email addresses:

• Hipp, D.: [email protected]

Correspondence Address:
Hipp, D.: Digital Media Treatment and Education Center, 2299 Pearl Street, #310, Boulder, Colorado, United States, 80302, [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: Contact Corresponding Author

Fee: No

Test Year: 2023

References

Hipp, D., Blakley, E. C., Hipp, N., Gerhardstein, P., Kennedy, B., & Markle, T. (2023). The Digital Media Overuse Scale (dMOS): A modular and extendible questionnaire for indexing digital media overuse. Technology, Mind, and Behavior, 4(3). https://doi.org/10.1037/tmb0000117

Items of the Digital Media Overuse Scale (dMOS)

Number of items: There are a total of 18 items.

Factors and Subscales:

• Overall smartphone usage

• Social media

• Gaming

• Pornography

• Internet video and streaming sites

Test Items Available: No data is Available