Assessing Risk for Smartphone Addiction: Validation of an Arabic Version of the Smartphone Application-Based Addiction S
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Assessing Risk for Smartphone Addiction: Validation of an Arabic Version of the Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale Zahir Vally 1,2
& Aisha Alowais
1
# Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract
The Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS) is a brief measure that can be used to screen for risk associated with smartphone addiction. While it has been validated in a number of languages, an Arabic version is yet to be tested. This study aimed to test the construct validity an Arabic language version of the SABAS using a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and maximum likelihood estimation. A sample of 453 Emirati (citizens of the United Arab Emirates) young adults (Mage = 20.32, SD = 1.53; 117 males [25.8%]) completed the SABAS measure, which was translated using recommended back-translation procedures, measures of depression, anxiety, and stress, and self-reported their daily duration of smartphone use, as well as demographic information. CFA results supported the unidimensional structure of the Arabic SABAS and the data met a number of indices indicative of acceptable model fit (λ range 0.45 to 0.66). The measure displayed satisfactory internal consistency (α = 0.71) and convergent validity. Correlations between the SABAS and depression, anxiety, stress, and smartphone use were statistically significant, but small in magnitude (r ranged 0.11 to 0.25). The availability of a validated Arabic version of the SABAS will facilitate the conduct of smartphone addiction research in the Arabic-speaking world. However, the present study’s results should be viewed as preliminary evidence of its psychometric properties. Further investigation with larger and more diverse samples of Arabic-speaking participants is required. Keywords Smartphone . Addiction . Arabic . Reliability . Validity . Factor analysis The massive proliferation and increased availability of smartphones have revolutionized numerous aspects of daily life. Many people now rely on these devices to facilitate functions * Zahir Vally [email protected]
1
Department of Cognitive Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
2
Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
related to work, academic study, entertainment, and social communication. However, despite these benefits, a burgeoning body of literature also points to the potentially deleterious consequences posed by smartphone overuse. A number of studies, conducted across a wide range of regions in various parts of the world, have found smartphone overuse to be positively associated with an increased risk for depression, anxiety, and stress, and with diminished scores on measures of self-esteem and well-being (Elhai et al. 2017; Thomee 2018). The mental health correlates associated with the excessive overuse of technologies have increasingly drawn the attention of social scientists and mental health researchers. This follows the inclusion
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