The development and initial testing of the Internet Consequences Scales (ICONS)

Comput Inform Nurs. 2005 Sep-Oct;23(5):285-91. doi: 10.1097/00024665-200509000-00013.

Abstract

The Internet has become a tool for everyday use in the lives of many people; however, little is known about the consequences of using the Internet on the well-being of individuals. This article describes the development of the Internet Consequences Scale (ICONS), a tool to measure the physical, behavioral, economic, and psychosocial consequences of Internet use. Content validity was established using a panel of experts in Internet communications, and construct validity was established using a confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability of the ICONS was established statistically using Cronbach's alpha. The result was a 44-item tool containing four subscales to measure the consequences of Internet use.

Publication types

  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Attitude to Computers*
  • Behavior, Addictive / psychology
  • Communication
  • Factor Analysis, Statistical
  • Family / psychology
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Friends / psychology
  • Humans
  • Internet / economics
  • Internet / statistics & numerical data*
  • Quality of Life
  • Self Concept
  • Social Isolation
  • Social Support
  • Students / psychology
  • Surveys and Questionnaires / standards*
  • Technology Assessment, Biomedical
  • Universities