Clarification of the Cut-off Score for Nine-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form (IGDS9-SF) in a Chinese Context

Lixia Qin; Limei Cheng; Maorong Hu; Qiaosheng Liu; Jianqin Tong; Wei Hao; Tao Luo; Yanhui Liao

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00470

Clarification of the Cut-off Score for Nine-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form (IGDS9-SF) in a Chinese Context

Front Psychiatry. 2020 May 25:11:470. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00470. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Lixia Qin¹, Limei Cheng², Maorong Hu³, Qiaosheng Liu⁴, Jianqin Tong², Wei Hao⁵, Tao Luo⁴, Yanhui Liao^{6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Hospital of Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
² Department of Psychology, Yingtan People's Hospital, Yingtan, China.
³ Department of Psychiatry, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
⁴ Department of Psychology, Jiangxi Mental Hospital of Nangchang University, Nanchang, China.
⁵ Department of Psychiatry, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
⁷ Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China.

Abstract

Background: The nine-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) is a self-reported screening measure based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria. It has been used to assesses symptoms and prevalence of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) in general population. Despite its widespread use, there is confusion arising from the recommended cutoff score for a positive diagnosis. This study aimed to identify the appropriate cutoff score for IGDS9-SF in a Chinese context.

Methods: The present study included a sample from clinical settings (n = 131) and another from universities (n = 3742). IGDS9-SF measurement and structured clinical interviews based on DSM-5 criteria for IGD were conducted in the sample from clinical settings. The cutoff score was determined using the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve. The validity of this cutoff score was further assessed in a sample from universities.

Results: Mathematical models suggest that the score of 32 is the optimal cutoff point (Youden's index, 96.2%; diagnostic accuracy, 96.1%; sensitivity, 98.0%; speciﬁcity, 91.9%; NPV, 91.9%; and NPY, 100%). The prevalence of IGD is 2.9% in this study.

Conclusion: This study suggested that the optimal cutoff score of IGDS9-SF is 32 for the positive diagnosis of IGD in a Chinese context.

Keywords: Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short-Form; Internet gaming disorder; clinical settings; cutoff score; universities.