Cross-cultural Invariance of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) in Seven Latin American Countries

Due to the growing increase of online video gamers and the possible psychosocial consequences of excessive gaming, it is important to validate reliable and culturally sensitive diagnostic tools. This study aims to assess the cross-cultural invariance of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale (IGDS9-SF) which was adapted to measure IGD exclusively in League of Legends (LoL), across seven Latin American countries. In the sample of 12,972 LoL players, the factor structure, invariance, and validity of the Latin American version are examined. The results revealed a better fit and reliability and construct validity when item eight was excluded; this model showed factorial invariance by country, sex, server, and game modality. In conclusion, the study provides empirical evidence that determines the applicability of the eight-item version of the IGDS9-SF in various contexts, its usefulness in assessing the severity of Internet gaming disorder, and adverse health effects in Latin American LoL players.