Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Oct 18, 2019
Date Accepted: Dec 15, 2019
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Development and Testing of the Adolescents' Digital Technology Interactions and Importance (ADTII) Scale
ABSTRACT
Background:
Digital technology use is integral to adolescents’ lives and has been associated with both health benefits as well as risks. Previous studies have largely focused on measuring quantity of technology use or understanding the use of specific platforms. To better understand adolescent digital technology use, we need new approaches that consider technology interactions and their importance.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to develop an assessment tool to evaluate adolescents’ digital technology interactions and their perceived importance.
Methods:
We used a validated scale development approach consisting of two initial steps to create an item pool: item pool development and item pool refinement. These steps relied upon empirical literature review and an expert convening. We then evaluated the item pool using an online survey. Data was collected via Qualtrics panel recruitment from a national sample of 12-18 year olds. Participant data was randomly split into a development subsample for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a test subsample for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). We assessed Chronbach’s alpha as well as model fit characteristics including root mean square equation analysis (RMSEA) and comparative fit index (CFI).
Results:
Our initial item pool had 71 items and the refined item pool contained 40. A total of 761 adolescents assessed the item pool via online survey. Participants had mean age 14.8 (SD=1.7), and were 52.8% female and 77.3% Caucasian. The EFA analysis included 500 participants and an 18-item draft scale was created. The CFA included 261 participants to test the draft scale. Adequate model fit for the scale was indicated by RMSEA=0.063 and CFI=0.95. The final scale included 18 items in a 3-factor model, with Cronbach alphas for the three factors of 0.87 (factor 1), 0.90 (factor 2) and 0.82 (factor 3). The 3 factors were named: 1) technology to bridge online/offline experiences, 2) technology to go outside one’s identity or offline environment and 3) technology for social connection.
Conclusions:
The Adolescents’ Digital Technology Interactions and Importance (ADTII) scale is a promising and psychometrically validated tool for identifying the importance of three distinct technology interactions. The scale is informed by relevant theory and expert input.
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