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International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction

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Open Access 01-04-2018 | Brief Report

The Psychometric Properties of the Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS)

Authors: Sándor Csibi, Mark D. Griffiths, Brian Cook, Zsolt Demetrovics, Attila Szabo

Published in: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction | Issue 2/2018

Abstract

The goal of the study was to validate the English version of the Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS; Csibi et al. 2016), which is a short and easy-to-use tool for screening the risk of smartphone application-based addiction. Another aim was to identify the most frequently used smartphone applications and their perceived importance by the participants. Data were collected online from 240 English-speaking volunteers, aged 18 to 69 years. The instruments used were the SABAS, the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q), the Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (BSSS), the Deprivation Sensation Scale (DSS), and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Participants also ranked the importance of their most frequently used smartphone applications. The six items of the SABAS yielded one component, which accounted for 52.38% of the total variance. The internal reliability of the scale was good (Cronbach’s alpha 0.81). NMP-Q was a significant predictor of SABAS, explaining 17.6% of the total variance. The regression analysis, with SABAS score as the dependent variable and NMP-Q, DSS, PHQ-9, and BSSS scores as predictors, indicated that approximately 47% of the variance in SABAS was accounted for by the predictors (R ² = 0.47). The English version of the SABAS appears to be a valid and reliable ultra-brief tool for a quick and easy assessment of smartphone application-based addiction symptoms.

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Title: The Psychometric Properties of the Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS)
Authors: Sándor Csibi
Mark D. Griffiths
Brian Cook
Zsolt Demetrovics
Attila Szabo
Publication date: 01-04-2018
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction / Issue 2/2018
Print ISSN: 1557-1874
Electronic ISSN: 1557-1882
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-017-9787-2

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The Psychometric Properties of the Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS)

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